When you look back on the mountaintops and valleys of your life, is there one or two big moments that stand out in your memory as a turning point in knowing that God loved you? You know, that one season when everything seemed like it was falling apart, and everyone had abandoned you…except your Father in heaven? For many people, when they think about their dark and hard times of life, the act of remembering brings a mixture of pain, confusion, or shame. Yes, we too were broken people in desperate need of saving. But for the believer, this remembering can be our source of power because of the redeeming and transforming love of God.
The apostle Paul wrote to the emerging church at Ephesus,
“Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ…without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ… And in him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Eph. 2:8-22, NIV).
Paul encouraged the new Christians to take time to remember where they had come from and to remember what God had saved them from because he knew the power of the gospel was found in their testimony!
As women and men invested in the pregnancy resource center ministry, it is important that we also take the time to remember our past -even the difficult memories- and to thank God for the healing, restoration, and redemption that He has worked in our lives since then. When our hearts are filled with genuine gratitude for the saving love of Christ, that love will fuel our daily interactions–whether we are helping a client take a free pregnancy test, giving her accurate information about her choices, praying for the staff and volunteers, or donating a portion of our income to strengthen the center’s resources. When we begin with remembering, we are actually welcoming the power of the Holy Spirit to come and enliven every moment of our day!
The work of a pregnancy resource center is practical and helpful, but it is also spiritual. When we, as advocates for life, remember how God has graciously saved us from our sin and the effects of that brokenness, we will surely find ourselves bursting with hope for every single person who enters Care Net Pregnancy Medical Center of Dickson. As ambassadors of the gospel, we can also be the ones to share our story with boldness because we know that God cares for each client with a deep love. Just as God loved and transformed us, He also desires to change their heart and life! At Care Net, our heart is that everyone who enters our doors will hear the good news of Christ’s sacrifice and love for them. It is our privilege to share the gospel in both word and deed to our clients.
Ultimately, it is Christ who is doing the restoration work within us, His people. As Paul wrote, we are “being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit,” but we have the opportunity to share the Spirit in our work at Care Net. If we are volunteers, let us take the hope within us as we give of our time and energy. If we are staff, let us be filled with gratitude as we do our jobs with excellence to the glory of God. If we are supporters within the community, let us share the gospel of Christ’s redeeming power happening here, in our center in Dickson.
Our mission as people and messengers of God is that every person is seen, loved, and known by God and it is His great desire to redeem their life for His glory! May we take this good news with us every day.