Rebekah Hawk shares our devotional thoughts this week. Some of you may be new to the blog and are not familiar with her. You can learn a bit about her by checking out the contributor’s page.

This summer, my secular instructor defined ethics as “actions, beliefs, and statements where outcomes have the most positive effect and/or cause the least harm,” and she described an ethical dilemma as “a decision point where the result may have consequences for the well-being of an individual, group, or system.”

Recently, an ethical dilemma has caused an uproar (according to the media—but the media thrive on real or imagined uproars), and I have dear friends embroiled in this dilemma. Today, I address the traditional moralists who believe (as I do) that human life begins at conception; usually, we oppose any acts that destroy the union of a sperm and egg once joined (there are few who object to means which keep them from bonding in the first place). Basically, we believe that once a woman is pregnant, she ought to do her best to deliver the child safely. 

And that is where we often stop.

Sadly, we have historically failed miserably to live consistently with our biblical stance. We rejoice when a woman leaves the clinic with her child still intact. We shout about the value of every life yet whisper about young unwed mothers. (I am preaching at myself, dear friends! It is hard to silence my nasty, self-righteous inner critic.) We type scathing posts and share memes and congratulate ourselves for being on the “right” side while closeting our pregnant teenagers or refusing to look them in the eye at our churches. 

We argue with strangers about the negative effects of “taking care of” an unwanted child without concerning ourselves with the needs of the single mothers who sit in our pews. The truth is, we soothe our ruffled consciences by delegating that duty to organizations. 

We are really good at donating diapers, wipes, and our children’s old clothes to pregnancy centers, but do we intentionally build relationships with moms, dads, children, and families? Are we so involved in each other’s lives that we anticipate others’ needs?

Do we believe that God really meant it when He told us to inconvenience ourselves to meet the needs of others? Jesus reminded us that our neighbor is anyone with whom we come into contact. We are not told to meet the needs of everyone in the world: we are commanded to meet the needs of the people He has placed in our lives. 

I am not called to meet every need of my neighbor. Proverbs says, “When you have it by you.” I am not told to pay my neighbor’s bills, though I know she is struggling—I do not have the means. But I can watch her children for her. I can communicate how valuable she and her darling children are by sacrificing my time, convenience, and plans.

Let us ask the Lord, “Are my actions consistent with the Word I say I believe and follow? Am I idolizing my convenience over the needs of others You have providentially planned to meet through my obedience?”