StraightPath isn’t a full time venture, but I manage to keep myself busy with active clients most times of the year. This provides some extra income and an opportunity to support some important charities and ministries. Options For Women is one of those.
What is Options For Women?
“Options” offers many services to women in need but their primary focus is helping women sort through their options if they are facing the stress of an unplanned pregnancy. Many of the volunteers and practitioners have been in those very shoes and they offer a hand of a compassion to a woman in need of clarity, love and support.
They share the truth about the life growing inside of that mother and help wade through the options that are racing through the heads of their clients. Some enter believing that the only option is abortion, they are there to put a date on the pregnancy, perhaps get a confirming ultrasound. They leave with information, not pressure, about the options. They leave knowing that abortion is not the only answer, they leave having had the opportunity to see the life growing in them on an ultra sound.
They provide counseling, answers and support to women. Post abortive counseling, assistance for those mothers who decide to go through with a pregnancy and take life one day at a time and help for those facing difficult moments.
Most importantly to me, they have an amazing testimony of lives saved through their outreach. Yes, they don’t apply pressure and some sadly still choose to go to an abortion provider, they are their for counseling in the future if need be. Through their ministry living out Christ’s compassion by actions, many, however, choose life – a choice they might not have really considered before meeting Options For Women. There are children alive today, and not just a few, because this group is there providing a beacon of light to a wide geographic area. There are new moms who were this close to choosing abortion rejoicing with their kids and some getting started support from this group because of their ministry.
Why Sponsor? What do I get?
I can’t tell you why I feel led to support this ministry. It is a calling my wife and I are deeply committed to, though. In fact, just the thought of innocent life being snuffed out through abortion and it’s lies brings tears to my eyes. We have a couple of wonderful kids, I have seen them grow in the womb from ultra sound pictures into healthy and fun children. I hate the lie that the choice of abortion can in any way be a good choice. I could have supported a group like the National Right to Life (and I do stand with them in their goal) but this ministry isn’t waging a legal or political war a couple steps removed from the affected lives. They are there in the trenches giving women the real options that many abortionists don’t give to their patients. They are not picketing outside of abortion clinics and preaching hate to confused and scared mothers. Instead they are prayerfully offering love, empathy, open ears and a Biblical world view to these mothers. They are living out what they believe. Babies are saved, mothers, fathers and family members have met Jesus in the people they encounter. Lives are forever changed (and I do mean forever in the eternal sense) within their doors.
While I have never been involved directly in an unplanned pregnancy, I have been exposed to the effects. A family member had some tough teenage years with bad choices. As a result of these choices and some selfish advice from support figures in her life, she went through the pain of two abortions. I saw this as it happened, too ignorant to know what help to offer, too blind to see the truth when approached for advice. She has since had children and is married but still lives with the decisions made in haste and without all of the information. I can’t help but wonder what could have happened if Options was known to her. What would have happened if she went in for advice and compassion.
It’s for all of the situations like that that I support this mission. It’s because I hold all stages of human life sacred that I support this ministry. It’s because lives are touched with the Truth of Jesus and get to witness His people loving them that I support this mission.
What Can You Do?
I don’t support Options looking for business. I have a narrowly focused niche with my consulting work. I work with database systems and even then only really SQL Server and even further specialize there (as described in my services page). I don’t support Options looking for more business, I maintain only a couple clients at a time as I do this in my “spare time” for now.
I support them simply because I felt led to help out. If you want to help out as well, don’t try and find a project for me, go to their website and learn about them. See how you can become a supporter of their non-profit organization. Perhaps your life has been touched by the pain of abortion, perhaps you have a heart for the women facing what must feel like the end of their ropes. I am sure they would love to have you volunteer.
Visit Their Site
If you feel at all interested in learning more, check out their home page here: http://www.optionsforwomen.org/index/