I recently saw a post on Facebook by a woman who expressed sincere doubt about whether it is right to bring a child into the world when it is likely that it will have to endure extreme hardship, violence, and other forms of suffering. The implication was that it would be better to abort such a one. Here is my answer, which I hope will prove helpful to others struggling with similar questions:
“Without God’s guidance in the matters you raise, there will always be unease and a lack of certainty in any decision you make. You will never know if you have done the right thing. The kind of peace you seek requires surrender to the Lordship of a perfectly moral, just, and loving God who knows exactly the right behavior and attitude that will be best for his creation. You will have to make a choice to trust God to give you the right advice and guidance all through your life. You don’t have to beg Him to provide this guidance; He already wants to help you.
Once you decide that God knows best, and are willing to obey his commands that are designed to bring and protect life, rather than destruction and chaos, then you can truly have freedom and peace that surpass your capacity to understand. Then, and only then, will you find peace in agreeing with God that he alone is sovereign over decisions of life and death. In short, you will be able to resist the temptation to take such matters into your own hands and then have to live in turmoil because of a deep uncertainty regarding the correctness of your decision(s).
By following the way of Jesus, you can place the weight of such decisions entirely upon him. You wouldn’t be here if your parents had decided to abort you because of fear for your future. Aren’t you glad that they allowed God to determine whether you live or die? A morality that embeds uncertainty in its core through humanistic reasoning is an untrustworthy compass for your life. If you surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, he will give you peace because the responsibility for your guidance rests with him. He will teach you to think and feel as he does, and then you will be certain that every unborn child is his creation and that he is watchful over every one.
And the question of whether it is right or just to bring a child into a less than perfect world will be settled for you. In fact, it will no longer be perceived as a question, but as a blessed privilege to be the parental steward (or to trust God to find one) of a precious life. Murdering an innocent baby will no longer be an option, because it will no longer occur to you.”
–Steve Trullinger, September 27, 2012