Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Pros and Cons (08/14/14)
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TITLE: The Other Side | Previous Challenge Entry
By Donna Tijou
08/21/14 -
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Dr. Smith considered for a moment, then replied, “But how will you learn if you present what you already believe?”
“How can I argue against something that I am so strongly for?” Kelly refuted.
“Perhaps that’s where the learning comes in?”
Ignoring his reply, she firmly avered, “I can’t do it!”
“Then you are willing to take a zero on this assignment?”
“No, of course not!”
“Pease, then use your mind,” Dr. Smith said softly, “if not your feelings and conscience, to argue the con side of abortion. Stretch yourself, Kelly. Dare to see things from the other side!”
Kelly reluctantly ceded knowing this was one debate she wasn't going to win. She was incensed, but there was nothing she could do; Dr. Smith’s mind was made up. Proud of being on the Dean’s List every semester, Kelly knew that a zero on this assignment wouldn’t keep her there.
She went to her dorm and started to research. She balked at the thought of doing it, but pulled out her laptop and googled, “cons of abortion." It was easy to find material supporting “Pro-Choice” but now she had to seek support for something that went against her grain. Yikes, there was more information than she thought about why NOT to have an abortion! She never considered that position.
The internet gave both the pros and cons of the abortion issue. Some of the reasons for not having an abortion were: life begins at conception, abortion is murder, abortion shouldn’t be a form of birth control, and so on. None of it really convinced Kelly; she wanted something deeper, something she didn’t already know. So she googled, “When does God say life begins?” It pulled up a slew of bible verses about life. Kelly reached for her bible, wiped off the dust, and confirmed the verses from the internet. There were a few that really got her thinking. Two verses touched her the most. They were:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you;” (Jeremiah 2:5) and
“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:16)
She had never focused on what God’s Word said concerning abortion. Attending church as a child, she had stopped in her teens. Her parents didn't go, so she didn't see the need, yet she believed in God and wanted to know Him. Now she realized she had to do more than just believe in Him; she had to believe Him. If the bible was God’s Word, then she had to accept what it said about God knowing her before she was even formed in her mother’s womb. That must mean that the fetus in the womb wasn't a blob of tissue, but a child of God! We had no “right” to end a life that He formed. She chewed on the verses for the next few days, groping to comprehend their full meaning.
One week after receiving the assignment, Kelly was asked to present her case in class. She was ready. She stood bravely in front and shared her belief in the pro position on abortion. She related her conversation with Dr. Smith. then told of her internet searches and how the info she found didn't satisfy her. Her soul wasn’t fed by what she found until she journeyed into scripture. When she read God’s Word on the subject of birth and life, it bore witness to the truth. She explained to the class,
“This was a difficult assignment for me, but once I dug into scripture, I realized I could no longer believe abortion was okay. God’s Word changed my mind. I am still ‘Pro” but no longer, ‘Pro-Choice.’ I am now ‘Pro-Life.’ I thank you, Dr. Smith, for urging me to expand and challenge myself and I thank God for opening my eyes.”
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