Last Updated on February 28, 2024
Did your eyes grow wide when you read that title? My heart pounded and I grabbed the steering wheel tighter when my 7-year-old shot that one at me the other day. I said a quick prayer. Well, Lord, how should I answer this one?
My sweet daughter has so many questions, but this was one of the harder ones to answer. How could I explain such a heavy subject? I said something to the effect of, “Well … sometimes when a mommy gets pregnant, she feels scared and is afraid to keep the baby. Even though it is not what God wants, she sometimes goes to a doctor so she won’t be pregnant anymore.”
Before she could get caught up in the mechanics of it, I launched into part two of my speech. “But God doesn’t want that for us. And the mommies who have had abortions are often very, very sad for the rest of their lives. God tells us that all children are a gift. What we need to do is to pray for mommies who are pregnant and scared, as well as pray for mommies who are really sad about what happened to their babies.”
“But why do they do that, Mommy?” she asked.
I again steered her toward God and compassion for others.
“Bad things happen in this world, Baby, but our job is to tell others about Jesus so He can help them through their pain. God doesn’t want abortion to happen and the doctors that perform them are not obeying God, but the best thing we can do is pray for people who are hurting.”
After that, her 7-year-old attention span caused her to turn her thoughts to something else. I thanked God for His help with that one and I pray that she will learn from me to always look to God for help in all situations, even when answering questions!
Jennifer Dyer has an M.S. in Communications Disorders, which served her well in her professional career as a speech-language pathologist. Never did she imagine that her education and career were God’s way of preparing her to be a mom to her own daughter with autism. Today, she enjoys reaching out to other families who face similar diagnoses. As a cancer survivor, carpet-cleaning veteran, and originator of the “Messy House Ministry,” Jennifer feels blessed to share joy, peace, and humor with others facing life’s challenges. She is mom to two beautiful daughters and is thankful to be raising them, serving other families with unique needs, and using her gift of writing and speaking to minister to others. Jennifer is also the author of a youth fiction book series and is trusting God with His timing on publication. Jennifer has been a mom for 11 years. She and Brandon have been married for 13 years.