Hope After an AbortionSýnishorn

A Journey Toward Hope

God teaches in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is a season for everything, including seasons to weep, mourn, laugh, and dance. The fact that God tells us that life is full of seasons can lead us to cultivate hope and endurance.

Why? Because a season only lasts for so long, and it promises change and the inbreaking of something new if we will only wait and endure. At the same time, seasons imply that there are appropriate emotions for different moments in our life. There are times when it is good to mourn and times when mourning fades and joy grows. 

After an unexpected pregnancy or abortion, we may find ourselves experiencing waves of emotions we have never faced before. Since we are beings made in the image of God, we have a wide range of emotions, just as God does. At first, this can feel overwhelming. We may wonder if we will always feel this way or if we are even allowed to feel this way. However, these verses remind us that God is not unaware of our emotions. In fact, He expects us to experience specific emotions and to engage in particular actions in each season because these are the right things to feel and do. 

Whenever we choose to face our trauma and begin the journey toward healing, we are partnering with God to start a new season of identifying and processing our emotions before the Lord. 

Emotions are not the truth, but they can be helpful signposts marking where we have deep pain. For example, anger that erupts when you see a pregnant woman may express your pain because you are no longer pregnant. Likewise, the grief you experience during your menstrual cycle may occur because this physical experience reminds you of the abortion.

Once we identify our emotions, we can begin to ask “why” questions that lead to the root of our pain, and then we can bring our emotions, pain, and questions to the Lord in prayer. At times, God may encourage us to mourn more; at other times, He may lead us to a place of confession or an invitation to trust Him more.

Today, let’s come to the Lord with our present emotions – whether weeping or laughing – and ask Him to guide us through this season as we process our abortion and seek to know Him more intimately.