Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
– Jeremiah 17: 7 & 8 (NIV)
The calendar tells us that in the Northern Hemisphere spring arrives on March 20. Robins and other birds return. Trees and bushes bud. Flowers rise from winter’s sleep. Spring is the season of renewal and growth. Temperatures grow warmer, the sun shines a bit longer, and it seems people smile and laugh more.
Easter happens during spring. Jesus resurrected on the third day, renewed and restored, and He promises the same for His followers. No wonder so many of us rejoice at springtime!
Other seasons exist as well, and sometimes those are more difficult. Winter, for example, brings blizzards and cold. Whether we’re talking about the seasons in nature or the seasons in our lives, some are easier to walk through than others.
As many are gathering for this year’s Heartbeat International Annual Conference, my 65th birthday takes place. I attended the Conference a few years ago when the event took place in Salt Lake City, covering several talks and events that became stories, including new fatherhood programs offered by different PHOs in the United States. I met representatives from organizations such as PreBorn!, Heart of a Child Ministries in my neighbor state of Nebraska, and creators of 7 Weeks Coffee (a product I truly enjoy!).
As this milestone birthday has drawn closer, I’ve reflected upon my life, including the nearly 13 years I served as Patient Resources Director for a pro-life pregnancy medical clinic in Wyoming.
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Those thoughts and memories are filled with both positive and negative experiences. The positives include the people I served with and the numerous women and families we helped, including one who, despite two previous abortions, chose life for her child and eternal life with her Savior and Heavenly Father. The negatives include the heartbreak of women who chose abortion over life for their unborn and the ramifications they experienced afterward. Despite that choice, though, some sought, and received, healing because, with God, all things are possible.
Today, that pregnancy help organization is located near Wyoming’s lone abortion clinic and plans to offer free counseling to patients, fulfilling a great need for women in Wyoming. Other pregnancy help organizations around the country have recognized the need for such services and are stepping up to answer that critical call.
Not long after I began serving at True Care Women’s Resource Center, I also began writing for Pregnancy Help News. During my college days (oh, so long ago now!) I wrote articles, and during my early career, I worked as a reporter and editor for small town newspapers in Montana. I also freelanced, writing stories for other publications, work I continue doing today. When Heartbeat International started Pregnancy Help News, my center director at the time, knowing I loved to share stories, encouraged me to reach out to Heartbeat and offer my services as a writer. Last year, Pregnancy Help News celebrated 10 years as a publication, bringing stories of pregnancy help and pro-life news to pregnancy help organizations across the globe. I’m honored to still serve as a writer for this amazing organization and greatly loved online publication!
No matter what season we are in, as pro-life pregnancy help organizations and other organizations, as individuals, as families, God remains faithful, steadfast, and steady. As the Psalmist writes, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:2 – NIV).
Tweet This: No matter what season we are in, as pro-life pregnancy help organizations God remains faithful, steadfast, and steady.
Turning 65 this month gives me pause. I enter this season with gratitude for all God has done, in my personal life and in my professional life, and for allowing me to witness the good He accomplishes through His people. I see His hand upon my former place of employment and pregnancy help organizations and pro-life organizations around the world. From saving infants from abandonment through the work of Safe Haven Baby Boxes to increasing numbers of maternity homes and pregnancy resource centers and medical clinics, God is swinging wide the doors to embrace mothers, fathers, and families where they are and them meeting their needs with vital services and programs.
No matter what season you are in, watch for the growth, the regeneration, the renewal Almighty God is doing … and praise Him for each aspect of growth He provides for you, your ministry, and your family. We serve a faithful, loving, gracious God. Let Him have you bloom where He’s planted you, not only in springtime, but at all times!
Enjoy a blessed spring and Easter!
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked … That person is like a tree planted by steams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers. – Psalm 1:1 & 3 (NIV)
