Looking Forward – Hope

April 4, 2020

SOME THOUGHTS FROM TRESA, OUR REGISTERED NURSE.

Just some thoughts about life right now. I’m really glad to be back to work, even if there are no patients right now. I think that it is important to remember why Crossroads is here. It’s to affirm the beauty and reality of life and to do that through the example of Jesus Christ. 

The coronavirus will be around for a little while yet. People are going to be more and more in need. They are staying at home and so probably in about 6 to 8 weeks, we may be busier than ever. It will be important during those times of need that we present the truth. As far as the COVID-19 is concerned, there is no evidence that it crosses the placenta. Your baby will not be infected with the virus even if you are!

The next truth is that it is a person inside you. Not a pregnancy, this is someone who has merit and may become the next president of the United States. No one knows what will happen in the future, we only know yesterday and some of today. It is amazing how many important decisions are made based on fear of the future! 

At the moment, I’m reading a book by Erwin McManus called, The Last Arrow. He writes about living your life to the fullest for God. About using all the arrows in your quiver before you leave this world. One of the biggest hindrances to this is fear. Fear of the future and not being willing to let go of the past because it is what you know. People will hang on to a past that is not healthy because they know that they have survived that moment in history. 

God doesn’t want us to only survive. He wants us to thrive! His word states that He has plans for us—plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. If you dwell in the past due to your fear, it is hard to find hope. What is it that you would hope for? I have a plaque on my wall shaped like an arrow. It states, “Don’t look back, you’re not going that way”. That is how we have to view the life that we live in. Look to the future. That is where any change will occur, where the hope is. The past is just that, the past. That opportunity is gone. Learn from it and move on.

A friend of mine, Leah Daytec a missionary practicing midwifery in the Philippines states, “If fear is your compass, you will be consumed and devoured by it. Fear, control, self-preservation is the low hanging fruit that temps us when evil and danger press in close.” She writes this as the Philippines are hit hard by COVID-19. They are on 24-hour lockdown and only allowed to go out once weekly for food and medicine. There are armed guards that enforce this law. People are scared and hungry. She and her husband have been reaching out with food and medical care. They are offering spiritual support and praying daily. Leah gets is—she’s shooting her arrows to where they will do the most good. She understands that the arrow only works as a tool if you take it out of the quiver and shoot towards something. She plans to empty that quiver before she leaves this world.

Crossroads plans to use up our arrows also! We are now offering diapers and other baby supplies (as they are available) to the public along with our regular BRIDGES clients. We have started Virtual BRIDGES lessons so that we may continue to be in contact with our clients even while there is a quarantine order in place. These changes and opportunities will continue until the COVID-19 crisis is over. We are offering free medical care, as always, in the form of pregnancy tests, STD testing and treatment, and of course, ultrasounds to help you see the truth of the beauty of the person inside you. 

DON’T LET THE FEAR OF THE FUTURE DICTATE YOUR DECISIONS AND STEAL YOUR HOPE. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, YOU ARE IMPORTANT, AND YOU ARE LOVED!