Helping Others Find Healing After Abortion

Unmarried and pregnant at age
18, Sue Liljenberg chose to end her
unborn child’s life. Over the next 10
years, she went into a tailspin of guilt,
loss, and shame.

Then a coworker, who did not know
about Sue’s abortion, lovingly told her
that we can be forgiven because Christ
paid the penalty for our sins when He
died on the Cross. Sue couldn’t believe
anyone would want to forgive her, but
the Lord broke through and changed
her heart.

When we understand
the ultimate source
of our problem—that
Adam’s sin marred
all of us—it is easier to
understand that we
need help from outside
ourselves.

About a year after her conversion,
Sue’s conscience again tormented
her. “I know God can forgive me,” she
thought, “but how can He forgive me
for that?” She intensely studied the
Bible and found healing that freed her
from the guilt and shame.

Soon Sue began to share with other
post-abortive women what she had
learned. She saw they still struggled
with anger and bitterness and needed
the same answers from God’s Word,
starting in Genesis. When we understand
the ultimate source of our problem—that Adam’s sin marred all of
us—it is easier to understand that
we need help from outside ourselves.
And we can get that help
in Christ. These women needed
to hear more than just advice. Sue
believed they needed to hear the
many rich teachings of Scripture
speaking directly to their brokenness
so they could heal.

“Just talking about it doesn’t
heal them, like it didn’t heal me.
Searching out God’s Word for
myself is what actually healed
me,” Sue says. Eventually she decided
to write a Bible study, Binding up
the Brokenhearted
, specifically for
post-abortive women.

Binding up the Brokenhearted is a
counselor-guided study that requires
women to examine their hearts
closely in the light of God’s Word. The
study focuses participants’ minds on
who God is and who we are. He is the
Creator and Savior, and we are fallen
sinners. Sue had struggled to understand
how she could ever kill her own
child. But a light bulb went on when
she heard the truths of Genesis. “I did
it because I was a sinner,” she realized.

As Sue ministered to women
through her Bible study and God’s
grace and love brought healing into
their lives, they wanted to help other
women. So Sue developed a training
program to equip women to disciple
others dealing with the same guilt.

Almost 20 years ago her Bible
study and training program became
Healing Hearts Ministries. It not only
ministers to women directly through
online counseling but also helps
train women in churches to minister
through Bible study and discipleship,
motivated by God’s grace and centered
on the gospel.

For many churches and pastors,
abortion is a difficult issue. But Sue
believes our churches are full of
wounded people who can and must be
helped. They have found forgiveness
in Christ, but they have not yet experienced
the healing available to them.
Sue says, “Healing involves sanctification;
it’s a process. Christians are
forgiven, but they can still be really
broken and wounded.” Healing Hearts
strives to bridge that gap.

God has forgiven, and He desires
to heal all the emotional and physical
scars from our sins, no matter how
grievous. “Abortion is sin, but when
we repent, Jesus forgives completely,”
Sue says. “Understanding that is when
restoration and healing begins.”

https://answersingenesis.org/sanctity-of-life/abortion/helping-others-find-healing-after-abortion/ This article originally appeared on answersingenesis.org

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