Unplanned by man, and Guided by God – Amazing story!...March 17, 2011

When my husband and I took a vacation to the ocean for our 10^th Anniversary, I brought along a couple of books to “catch up on”, this title was included in my stack.  “unPlanned”, by former Planned Parenthood Clinic Director in Bryan,Texas, Abby Johnson, is a story of courage and integrity in the midst of the forces of the culture of death.

Ms. Johnson’s story starts dramatically, one that brought me to tears with the gruesome re-telling of her assistance in an ultrasound-guided abortion for the first time.  So vivid was the imagery that I had to look away for a moment.  Ms. Johnson’s turning point begins at that moment, on Saturday, September 26, 2009.  From that moment on, Ms. Johnson walks us through her journey of soul searching for truth, as she admits that “scales came off my eyes”.  The events that occurred after she resigned from Planned Parenthood on October 6, 2009 play out in whirlwind form like a Monday night movie:  Planned Parenthood issued a restraining order and files a lawsuit (“violation of employment contract by breaking the confidentiality agreement with patients”) on October 30, 2009; on November 6, 2009 Ms. Johnson appeared on the Fox News show ‘Huckabee’; and finally the court hearing occurred on November 10, 2009, which resulted in a denial and dismissal in Ms. Johnson’s favor.  To read the events, I am struck by the Almighty Hand of God at work – when God moves, sometimes it is fast and you have got to hang on tight and watch Him work. 

However, to get to that point can be painful, with obvious repercussions for choices made.  What rang clear to me in reading Ms. Johnson’s story, were a couple of things:  that the Devil works mightily to make us believe lies; that if those lies go unchecked or unchallenged by us, then we easily fall prey and pain and heartache are inevitable; and finally, that the Lord is faithful and still in control of our lives and orchestrates a beautiful song when we are open to Him and obedient.  Ms. Johnson’s walk of faith, despite the outward darts flying her way, is a testament to God’s faithfulness to us.  Although Ms. Johnson’s story is unique in that it offers both sides of the pro-choice/pro-life debate, it is also a story that goes beyond to the deep and unrelenting love of our Lord and Savior.

What also rang clear to me were the true believers who demonstrated pure love, not judgmental, but came along side with gentleness and longsuffering.  Hey, isn’t that the fruits of the Spirit???  Yes!  May we all learn to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit in our daily lives – for we may never know whom God will touch through our obedience to Him.  Thanks for sharing your excellent story, Ms. Johnson.