After Abortion ...The Journey of Self-Contentment

by Debra Elliott
(Birmingham, AL, USA)

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4


These past few months we have traveled over rocky roads and uncharted territory to the end of our journey. I've talked with you about the journeys of self-healing, self-forgiveness, self-value, self-respect, and self-confidence. The reason I chose the order of our journeys was purposeful.

I started out with the journey of self-healing. I chose it first because without healing your body, mind, and soul you could not forgive yourself.

Then I talked about self-forgiveness. When you forgive yourself you are able to find value within yourself.

Self-value covered self-esteem and self-worth and without either you have no self-respect.

On our last two journeys I talked about self-respect and self-confidence. Self-respect and self-confidence take us on our last journey together: self-contentment.

To be content with your life and where you are with yourself, you have had to experienced all the journeys after an abortion.

On this journey I want to cover eleven steps that helped me overcome any doubts I had about myself and I know will help you as well.

The steps are simple and through God's wisdom and inspiration are found in the word "contentment".

Cast your cares unto the Lord.

Overcome your fears.

Not lose hope.

Trust in the Lord.

Encourage others.

Nothing is impossible.

Triumph over obstacles.

Mending your heart.

Everyday counts.

Never look back.

Throw away the past.


Cast your cares unto the Lord: Casting all your cares upon Him; for He careth for you. I Peter 5:7

When you cast all of your doubts, fears and hopelessness unto the Lord you are able to move on. You can begin to live your life to the fullest and experience the joy God wants for you.


Overcome your fears: Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. Isaiah 54:4

When you are able to overcome any fears left over from the past you can become strong and will no longer feel unsure of anything.


Not lose hope: For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Psalm 71:5

Remember you cannot lose hope. Hope is what sustains you through the tribulations and turmoil after an abortion. Hope gives you strength and courage to press forward.

Trust in the Lord: Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. Proverbs 3:5

Trust after an abortion is a major key in renewing your life. Without trust you cannot grow and thrive. The Lord already knows what you've gone through and what you are going through. You have to trust Him to see you through any storms that come your way.


Encourage others: Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. I Thessalonians 5:11

When I am discouraged and in despair I find one of the best ways to crawl out of self-pity is to encourage others. Encouragement is a great hope builder. You can give others hope because you have already been there. Be a great encourager to others in your walk after an abortion. It helps you as well!

Nothing is impossible: I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Through the Lord you can do all things. You can heal yourself, you can forgive yourself, you are a person of value. You can respect yourself and gain your confidence back because nothing is impossible with the Lord.

Triumph over obstacles: The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. Psalm 118:7

The Lord is always with you, he is your helper when you stumble and fall over obstacles. Obstacles will always be there, but you can be triumphant over the shackles of the past and break through all obstacles.

Mending your heart: The troubles of my heart are enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses. Psalm 25:17

Your heart is heavy with burdens of your past and you are suffering. I have been there. My heart was troubled with distress and troubles of my past, but I turned to Psalm 25:17 which became my beacon in the rescue of my heart. To go forward you have to mend your heart and find contentment within your soul.

Everyday counts: So, remove grief and anger from your heart and out away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting. Ecclesiastes 11:10

Everyday of your life counts! Do not store away grief and anger. You are somebody. You have purpose, you have worth. God sees only the best in you.

Never look back: Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way. Proverbs 23:19

What happened is gone, long forgiven. Keep yourself focused on today. Do not ponder on "what if's" or "why's".

Throw away the past: Forget what happened in the past, and do not dwell on events from long ago. Isaiah 43:18

The last statement says it all; "throw away your past". You have come far in your journey and have forged on toward being content in your life. If you hang on to the past you will never be content. You cannot go back and change what happened to you. You can only move forward in your new life, a life of forgiveness, a life of joy, and a life of contentment.


I want to thank all who read my columns and left heart-felt comments and their favorite bible verses. I leave you with the hope I was able to help those who have gone through an abortion as I did many years ago.


Remember, the journey after abortion really does not end. You are always stopping to find your way when lost.


I want to leave you with one final thought: Always turn to the Lord for comfort and guidance. He is your road map through the journey after abortion.


Starting next month look for my new column "God Delights in You...Turning Your "Ashes" into Beauty".

In this new series of articles I will share with you how you can become the woman God intended even after "going through the fire".

Be blessed and press onward,

Debra

© Debra Elliott 2009