Displaying items by tag: for the heart

by Brooke Myrick BSN, RN, LAS

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 15:9-11 ESV

As Nurses within the pregnancy help setting, often we are blessed with experiences that fill us with abundant happiness and thankfulness. In comparison, we can also find ourselves experiencing feelings of utter sadness that can bring us to our knees.  The service offered to women and families within the pregnancy help role is a unique service, unimaginable and unrelatable to many, unless they are also united in the same service. Many times, the nursing care offered is concerning a life-or-death decision. As love, care and support are shared, to reach and rescue as many lives as possible, there are times when the woman’s decisions may not be as we had earnestly prayed and hoped. In addition, the conversations had, and relationships built, each distinctly demands an immense amount of physical, emotional, and spiritual support from the nurse. Appointment after appointment, nurses proceed to offer all we can, with all that we have, as we pray for God to guide our words and actions, in efforts to save lives today and for eternity future.

Despite circumstances, how can your joy be made full and complete?

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory…

1 Peter 1:8

The joy described in 1 Peter is an inexpressible joy. A joy unable to be given an explanation. This joy is independent of circumstantial surroundings, adversity, and attacks. It is a constant joy independent of the current life challenges. This joy is a byproduct of the love given us by remaining in Him, as referenced in John 15.

In Hebrews 12:2 we read that Jesus endured the cross, for the joy set before him, to become our Savior and sit at the right hand of God. He can identify with our struggles. With every act of service offered and with every sacrifice made, may you also be filled with joy.

With the utmost gratitude, we thank you for your endless hours of acts of service to those entering your pregnancy help center doors. Thank you for your continued prayers for the families you serve and their situations long after their care at your center is complete. You care. You care deeply for those you serve, and this is worthy of commending and admirable.

Your service does not go unnoticed and is making a difference, one life at a time, every single day.

This Nurses Week we are praying you remain in the love of our Father, that his joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

by Jennifer Wright, Editor/Writer

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent observed by many Christians. Over the 40 days leading up to Holy Week and the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday, many Christians follow the example of Jesus spending time in fasting and prayer in the desert for 40 days from Matthew chapter 4.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.”

Matthew 4:1-3 (NABRE)

I have to admit, Lent is by far my favorite season in the Church. I’m reminded of Jesus’ humanity that he shares with us, I take the opportunity to forgo something good to strengthen my resolve in denying temptation, and, my favorite part, the music is stunningly beautiful. Singing in my Church’s choir since I was about eight years old, I’ve done a lot of music, but nothing compares to the hauntingly beautiful ancient pieces of Lent and Holy Week. Just the words “Were You There?” can draw a tear as I imagine being present for the crucifixion.

But that’s not what I’m writing to share about today.

I’ve always been taught that for Lent, a good practice is to focus on three things: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. I can’t say I always manage (human as I am), but I do try, and I think taking a season to pay particular attention to these ways to draw closer to Christ is not only healthy, but necessary. And individuals don’t have to do it alone. Here are a couple ideas for your pregnancy help organization to participate in the Lenten season this year. Perhaps something new will carry into the rest of the year, or maybe it will just make the Easter celebration a little sweeter for you and your staff, but I encourage you to participate this Lent either way.

Prayer

• Take a break for daily prayer with your staff and volunteers. It can be totally optional (Heartbeat’s 9am daily prayer is, but many participate year-round), but taking a moment to invite everyone into prayer for your supporters, clients, and each other has many benefits, including keeping your team a little more aware of the rest of the organization.
• Share a particular, specific prayer with any client that you find ready for prayer. This could be something you write, or a prayer you find helpful from another source. It can be something as simple as one line, such as “Jesus, I trust in You.” The goal is to invite clients into a life of prayer if appropriate. Remember, determining the right opportunity for this invitation will take prudence and temperance.
• Pray particularly for the pregnancy help movement around the world, especially those providing pregnancy help in Ukraine, and refugees fleeing to countries like Poland, Moldova, and other locations. (Click here for specific prayer requests from our affiliates in Ukraine.)

Fasting

• Fasting doesn’t always have to be from food, but it should be a sacrifice. For example, when fasting from food isn’t a healthy option for me (as a pregnant or breastfeeding mother), I fast from social media. That may not be a good option for a pregnancy help organization building a following on Facebook or Instagram, but maybe fasting from caffeine or mobile games would be a good option. (Note: If your Lenten sacrifice is a trial for the people around you, you may want to consider something else.)
• Make a sacrifice of simplicity for your meals and drinks for the season, and every time you choose the plain coffee instead of the latte or the water instead of the soda, offer that small sacrifice up for your clients or for a donor you plan to speak to that day.
• Fast from hot showers (and take only lukewarm showers instead), or give up your pillow at night, and offer that sacrifice up for the success of your organization or the strengthening of your team.

Almsgiving

• Try offering a new service or material aid to clients. Whether it’s a just-for-Lent kind of thing or the start of a new year-round resource, your clients will be grateful. Just to be clear, offering Baby Bucks or Mommy Money for attending classes and having clients shop for resources is not what we’re talking about here. These are fantastic services, but maybe for Lent, you give out an extra pack of diapers along with every item purchased with what your client earned or something even more generous.
• Invite past clients or current clients who are relatively well-off to share baby items they don’t need anymore with current clients in need. Maybe even invite past clients to meet with a new or expecting mom who could use a friend. Building the opportunity for others to give of themselves is a great way to facilitate almsgiving.
• Consider whether your organization might be able to give to Heartbeat’s HALO (Helping Affiliated Life-Affirming Organizations) Fund. Right now, we plan to use those funds to support refugees from Ukraine who need pregnancy help wherever they are in Eastern Europe, and to support our affiliates in Ukraine if and when it is possible.

May your Lent be a blessed time for drawing nearer to the Lord. God bless you.

by Jennifer Wright, Editor/Writer
Heartbeat International

I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. The timing feels completely arbitrary to me, most resolutions don’t make it past January or February, and somehow, they never seem to impact my life much. While resolutions make January a good time for the fitness industry, the people committing to more exercise often find themselves paying for gym memberships they aren’t using anymore come springtime. I guess such things have left me jaded (even at 30 years old).

Still, humans tend to need these resets. Even without our current arbitrary date to celebrate the changing of one year to the next, we would find some season, day, or festival to observe a new cycle. We always have. And this year, I’m trying something new.

In 2022, my resolution is to cultivate virtue. The Catholic Church has a list of seven heavenly virtues remembered from antiquity as a combination of the four classical cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude) and the three theological virtues (faith, hope, and love/charity). Now, there are other lists that choose virtues to directly combat the seven deadly sins, but this group of seven virtues is what I am committing myself to this year, in fact, I’m specifically working on the four cardinal virtues.

Why? Well, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that these four virtues are acquired only by human effort (different from the theological virtues which are God-given gifts that inform and give life to all the moral virtues). They are habits of moral good that, when nurtured, let us more easily turn away from temptations to sin. (See CCC 1804 and following for more on the seven virtues.) The beauty of these virtues is that they can – and should – apply almost everywhere. Here are some short descriptions of these virtues and some questions we can ask ourselves to check if we are firmly standing in these habits of moral goodness.

Cultivating Virtue at Home and at the Pregnancy Help Organization

Prudence

When we talk about prudence, we mean the practice of good judgement. St. Thomas Aquinas describes it as “right reason in action.” Not only does prudence allow us to discern right from wrong, but it can guide us in what is appropriate in any moment. It may not be wrong to confront someone with a difficult truth, but is it prudent to do so at a family dinner?

• How can I choose the right moment to share the gospel with a client?
• Will this client be ready to hear a message of sexual integrity right now? From me?
• Can I take time and energy to do this good/kind thing now or do I need to refill my cup first so I’m prepared for the next opportunities?

Justice

Justice is the virtue that guides us to make sure that God and others receive what is due them and we assume our responsibilities. Practicing justice ensures that we order things rightly, putting God first. We naturally want to see wrongs righted, but justice can be cruel without mercy, so we must incorporate God’s mercy into our human concept of justice as well. When I practice justice in my relationships, I mostly realize that I’m punishing others unjustly. My husband doesn’t really deserve to be on the receiving end of my fuming when what I’m actually upset about is my own failing.

• How can I effectively support justice for the unborn?
• Who am I punishing unjustly because of my own anger and how can I stop?
• Which client needs me to fight for her to get the support she needs?

Fortitude

Sometimes, fortitude is referred to as courage to make it easier to understand, and certainly fortitude should strengthen resolve, help us conquer fear, and encourage us in the face of trials and persecution, but it’s about more than that. Fortitude is about constancy in seeking good.

• How do I model taking courageous actions for clients?
• Am I helping others to overcome fear?
• Do I persist in seeking good even in the face of adversity or do I give up?

Temperance

Without temperance, anything can get out of hand. Practicing temperance allows us to experience life in a balanced way. It’s not wrong to eat, in fact it’s necessary! It becomes sinful to overeat greedily. Good things, if we overindulge, are no longer good. That’s why we need temperance. We ought to temper our practice of justice with mercy, and fortitude and prudence can temper one another to make our choices more and more virtuous.

• Is my sense of justice overcoming my capacity for mercy and love?
• How can I share the truth with clients, friends, and family without overwhelming them?
• Do I speak too harshly on social media when I should be tempering fortitude with prudence?

I still may not be a fan of New Year's resolutions, but I hope that spending this year cultivating virtue will make the world - or at least my world - a better place. I think a resolution like this is one all of us should make, so why not now? And let's be honest, if I need a reset on this resolution, Lent is coming soon! May we all grow in virtue this year at home and in the pregnancy help movement.

Belle sat in the abortion clinic for two hours contemplating her decision before taking the first abortion pill. She was told by the abortion clinic doctor, “that once you take the first pill, there’s no coming back from it.” Eight hours after taking the first abortion pill Belle experienced heartbreaking regret. She searched and found the Abortion Pill Rescue Network (APRN) online and called for help. “I got someone on the phone that was so nice and helpful, also encouraging and positive which is what a woman needs during a time like that.”

The APRN medical team compassionately helped her through the process. Within hours, she had a prescription for progesterone and was working with a provider doing everything they could to save her baby. Belle had faith that Abortion Pill Reversal would work even though she knew it may not, and it did! A healthy and beautiful baby boy named Rey was born on Oct 11, 2021. “I am so glad and eternally grateful for this website [AbortionPillRescue.com] because it saved my baby’s life and mine.”

Baby Rey will be celebrating his 1^st Christmas this year in the arms of his mother.

This is the kind of story we celebrate at every opportunity, and we know you do too. Belle shared her story with us to encourage others in her situation that there is hope. We pray for Belle and Rey, as well as all your clients and patients this year that they may have a joyful holiday season and truly embrace the beauty of life.

Excerpted from The Power of Pregnancy Help, a book telling the story of the first 50 years of Heartbeat International and the pregnancy help movement. The Power of Pregnancy Help is available wherever books are sold.

Chapter 5: Lasting Foundations for the Movement

Peggy Hartshorn

Each of our three co-founders, Dr. John Hillabrand, Lore Maier, and Sister Paula Vandegaer, brought special gifts to the establishment of AAI, and they incorporated into our work the values, purposes, and principles that characterized not only AAI’s first twenty years, but also have become the foundation for the growth and development of Heartbeat International over the last thirty years. In the previous three chapters we have tried to capture some of their special gifts and the life experiences and expertise that have left clear marks on the pregnancy help movement both then and now.

The name founders carries with it the concept that these first leaders laid down the foundations for the organization they started, Alternative to Abortion International. And today, that organization, now Heartbeat International, is indeed built on those foundations. However, our founders believed, and Heartbeat believes today, that they were building for the entire pregnancy help movement, then and now – not just for those that became or would become official affiliates. Anyone who provided life-affirming pregnancy help was and is welcome, all learn and contribute, all work together to advance the mission of saving and changing lives. So, the foundations were built and are maintained now for the entire pregnancy help movement.

. . .

Always More Than Saving Babies

All three of our co-founders had a view of our work that encompassed more than saving babies. Those who describe the mission of pregnancy help centers as “saving babies” are only describing a part of our founders’ vision and mission and part of the movement’s vision today.

Our founders focused on both mother and baby, and, in fact, on the family and the entire culture. They saw that we were involved in this work to serve women in need and help them so they could save their babies, but also (especially in the work of Sister Paula) that we were in a position to help women understand their true womanhood. Dr. John and Lore’s writings and talks also show that they viewed an attack on the sanctity of human life in the womb as an attack on society as a whole and on all humanity that would have profound ramifications. Lore tried to warn of the effect of abortion not only on women themselves and the family, but also on the perpetrators (the abortionists), and even on those who merely stood by and observed (the general public).

The first logo that was chosen for AAI, used in the very first communications in early 1972, was called “Hearts of Gold.” It is not a baby, nor is it a mother and child. The logo features two larger gold hearts (with some lines and markings, the result of life’s scars, experience, maturity, and wisdom) surrounding a tiny, unmarked, pure golden heart that represents the innocent human child. The logo shows that we need to protect, shelter, and nurture that child, born and unborn. The hearts of gold represent the family as God intended it. With the family relationships disrupted and in need of healing, the larger, sheltering hearts could be those of us in this movement protecting the child. Heartbeat’s logo has changed to the “Heart of the Future,” but Heartbeat International still features our “Hearts of Gold” on our premier Legacy Award since God’s plan for the family is still at the heart of our mission. One of the amazing things about the early AAI Academies (Conferences) was the diversity of expertise represented in the “Faculty” or conference presenters. To help the emerging centers with program development were marriage and family experts, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, doctors and nurses (with expertise on pregnancy and maternity care, fetal development, labor and delivery, nursing, sexually transmitted diseases, infertility and more), early childhood education experts, researchers, social workers, mothers, fathers, and more.

Programs developing then within the first centers (despite the early term EPS or Emergency Pregnancy Services) and first maternity homes were focused not just on the crisis intervention need for women coming in for a pregnancy test, but on parenting and family unification. For the “negative test client,” programs were developing to help her understand the risks of sexual intimacy outside of marriage. Centers were developing referral networks in their own community and finding like-minded potential partners who could amplify these messages – for example, in schools and in the culture at large.

Today, if you attend a Heartbeat International Conference or any other gathering of pregnancy help organizations around the world, you will find the same. We are about much more than saving babies. Our foundation stones are motherhood, fatherhood, healthy families, and a pro-family culture.

by Beth Diemert, LAS, Director of Affiliate Services

In the account of 1 Thessalonians, Paul is writing to the church at Thessalonica, that is experiencing great suffering and persecution. Fellow citizens, who reject the church and believer’s faith, are bringing it down hard by seizing property, stopping their livelihood, mocking them, beating them, and even putting some to death. Paul is desperate to be in communication with them, to know how they are doing, because of his great love for them & wanting to care for them.

He writes his letter to drive home two main points. First, that suffering is part of the Christian life. In Chapter 3, writing in the Greek language, he uses the word trials, literally translated as “pressure.” He acknowledges they are under it – big time.

But what Paul doesn’t express is surprise. He instead conveys that this is to be expected. In fact, we see throughout the New Testament multiple statements, many from Jesus himself, that persecution and pressure will exist until his return (John 16:33, Matt 24:9). We can attest to this as we consider our current day culture!

Paul’s second point comes in Chapter 5. It’s one of those “therefore” statements.  In other words… in light of all this reality and truth, here’s what you need to do. “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (5:11). He acknowledges that these believers are on course with this practice, and yet he takes the time to pen it in his letter, indicating a high value - to be there for each other and encourage one another.

God created us to need each other. It is not a weakness; it is our design. When Adam was in the garden and both saw and named every living creature, it made him highly aware of his “alone” factor. This is expressed in the text as “no suitable companion found” or from Adam’s perspective, “there’s no one like me” (Gen 2:18-20).

Keep in mind that Adam at this point is without sin, in perfect relationship with a perfect God, and in a perfect paradise! Yet he feels a need for relationship with a fellow human. God creates Eve and meets this need. All these years later, it hasn’t changed. We thrive when we live according to our design. It’s all about relationship!

So, as we take an inventory of the current state of the union we must exist in, and our own personal leadership calling, let me encourage you, like Paul, to unlock this foundational tenant of our faith – to find & give encouragement!

We have the incredible privilege of being in a network of thousands of pregnancy help organizations, filled with thousands of believers who share our passion. It should be our high priority within our community to encourage others at every opportunity and be humbled to receive encouragement back. This can be done in practices within our own organizations, in our networking circles, in our closed Facebook groups, wherever we have the opportunity to interact with each other. We need to do away with competition and criticism, and speak Life, model Life, exude Life, as a great means of encouragement! (This is why at Heartbeat we believe we are better together, and the greatest answer to abortion is another person!)

We also need to utilize the living Word of God to find encouragement for ourselves and to share spoken truth with those who need encouragement (Heb 4:12 NLT). The scriptures are full of truth about our Identity (who we are) and Inheritance (what we possess.) By way of encouragement, let me leave you with this thought from Graham Cooke on both, and the amazing truth they reveal.

Every piece of your identity carries with it its own favor, its own permission, its own provision, its own anointing.

When you step through that doorway of favor and permission, you are actually reaching for your true identity as a son or daughter of the Most High.
 
You are accepting that inheritance and standing on new ground.  
Identity is who you are in God regardless of circumstances.

It doesn’t matter what is against you.
It only matters Who is for you.

He is for you! We CAN rise above our circumstances! Be encouraged!

By Kirk Walden

“But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” – Luke 10:29

While doing research for my next book, I was reminded again of the story of baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball player of the modern era.

What does this have to do with all of us in the pregnancy help community? More than I imagined.

An Experiment in Changing a Culture

First, the facts: Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey signed Robinson to a minor league contract in the fall of 1945. Robinson would play one season (the 1946 season) with the Dodgers' minor league club, the Montreal Royals. Then, Robinson would make his major league debut in April of 1947.

In 1945, there was no written rule against signing black players. It was just "understood" that whites and blacks would be segregated. Blacks would play in the Negro Leagues, whites in the Major and Minor League systems.

As a Christian however, Rickey knew this could not stand. He had to do something. He had witnessed blatant racism in his college days at the turn of the century and had vowed he would do something about it.

Branch Rickey didn't petition Congress. He didn't even argue with owners around the Major Leagues. Instead, knowing there would be major blowback, he vetted a number of possible players and settled on Robinson, signing him to a contract. He reached one person. That's it.

Rickey and Robinson agreed that no matter how many players or fans taunted him, Robinson would not retaliate--for three years. If a pitcher threw at his head, Robinson would do nothing. If a player spiked him on the base paths there would be no response from Robinson.

This experiment worked. In 1947, Robinson was Rookie of the Year and led the Dodgers to the World Series.

Winning the People

Remember, baseball was "America's Pastime" in the 40s. The NFL, now king of sports in the USA, was nothing but an afterthought compared to mighty baseball. For instance, in the 1947 World Series against the Yankees, all seven games were totally sold out and every game was on both radio and TV (even then!).

In contrast, the NFL's championship game was viewed by just 30,000 fans in a half-empty Comiskey Park in Chicago, with only a radio audience.

With baseball so popular at that time, everyone knew Jackie Robinson. They watched his every move and as the season and subsequent seasons took place, Americans became comfortable with integration in this country's most popular entertainment venue, baseball.

The Results

You want to know what took place after Rickey and Robinson made the courageous decision to integrate baseball?

One year later, President Truman integrated the military.

Seven years later, the US Supreme Court ruled in Brown v Board of Education, integrating public schools.

10 years later, President Eisenhower enforced the Supreme Court's ruling by sending the military into Arkansas to integrate Central High School.

Coincidence? No. Americans had seen with their own eyes that a black ball player was--in reality--no different than a white ball player. Segregationist arguments were blown up through one decision and one player. Soon, the political and judicial leaders followed... Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson.

Our Role

In the Pregnancy Help Community, our role is to get on the ground and help that one person, as Rickey did when he opened the door for one person--Jackie Robinson--to play baseball. Rickey was loving his neighbor, believing that color should not separate one from playing the game he loves on the biggest stage.

You know what we do? We reach one person, then we reach another. The world is taking notice. Slowly, but surely, we're seeing a shift in opinions on life as more and more see that an unexpected pregnancy is not the end of the world.

We are changing the culture. Want proof?

The Court Awaits

I just received a summary of Heartbeat International's Amicus Brief for the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices consider the Mississippi case, Dobbs v Jackon Women's Health Organization.

In the brief, Danielle White, Heartbeat's legal counsel, makes an amazing case for what our work on the ground has accomplished to change the dynamic since the Court handed down its Casey decision in 1992.

Just like Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson, we've tilled this ground so that our arguments now have tried and true results, proving abortion is no longer "needed," as Casey implied.

If you want real encouragement then, read Danielle's brief here. Pages 10-16 in the PDF file give us the summary. It's well worth your time.

Oh, by the way, if you're wondering whether Danielle White's brief will carry any weight, keep in mind that in the vital NIFLA v Becerra case a couple of years ago, one brief was referred to by the justices in oral arguments. It came from... Danielle White.

Be encouraged. Let's stay the course and love the neighbors who enter our doors each day.

Kirk Walden is Heartbeat International’s former Advancement Specialist, and now works with Heartbeat on special projects such as this. Connect with him via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For speaking engagements, contact Gloria Leyda at Ambassador Speakers Bureau.

by Cindi Boston-Bilotta, Vice President of Mission Advancement
Heartbeat International

I’ve been a part of the pregnancy help movement for 27 years. 20 years of that was spent starting and running a pregnancy center in Missouri. Being in this ministry, I’ve had the joy of holding babies who almost didn’t make it, and the sorrow of not knowing if others had. Now, in my role at Heartbeat as the Vice President of Mission Advancement, I get to describe the miracles of life that you are a part of.

I love this ministry. I love seeing and sharing with folks who want to support Heartbeat and the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network.

We have a lot to celebrate in our work. We get to rescue moms and babies from the travesty of abortion. We help mothers find a way to save and support their babies. We make sure families have the support they need to grow holier, happier, and healthier.

What’s not to love about our work?

by Kirk Walden

“Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do that which is proper, yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you . . .” Philemon 8-9A

If I Corinthians 13 is the scriptural chapter which best describes love, perhaps the brief letter we call the Book of Philemon is one which best shows us love in action. Because if we follow the examples of Paul, Onesimus and Philemon, those around us will see a powerful picture of what love looks like, in real life.

Let’s set the stage. Onesimus was a slave of Philemon. An indentured servant, one might surmise. But Onesimus ran away, no small infraction. To understand how egregious this was, in the culture of the day it wasn’t uncommon to execute runaway slaves.

But a funny thing happened after Onesimus snuck away to freedom. He found Paul, converted to faith in following Jesus Christ, and launched a partnership with the man who would become the most prolific of New Testament writers.

At some point however, Onesimus—perhaps guided by a new conscience—likely confessed to Paul that he was a runaway. Or Paul found out through other means and Onesimus confessed his past. Regardless, this admission was a dangerous one. But Onesimus came clean, out of love for Jesus Christ and a desire to follow—no matter the personal cost.

The story gets even more interesting however, when we find out Paul not only knew the master of Onesimus but had a close relationship with him. This was such a strong relationship that Paul sat down and penned the letter to Philemon which we read and study today.

Paul knew he could say the word and Philemon would do anything Paul asked, including freeing Onesimus. But as we see throughout this letter, Paul chooses instead to express love for Philemon, and to appeal to Philemon’s love for Jesus.

Remember when Jesus told us the two great commandments were to love God and to love others? In this letter, Paul puts this into practice.

Out of his love for God, Paul chooses to love Philemon—just like Jesus taught. Onesimus? He chose love by returning to Philemon with letter in hand, willing to take any punishment Philemon required.

Love from Paul. Love from Onesimus. And with this letter, it was up to Philemon to complete the circle.

Paul requests that Philemon not only release Onesimus, but to shift his entire view of his former slave. Paul presents Philemon with the challenge to consider Onesimus—a slave—as an equal, as a brother in the work of advancing the good news (v.15-17).

This was a monumental request, but Paul was confident his brother Philemon would not only honor this request but out of love, go beyond what he was asked (v.21).

While none of us knows for certain how Philemon responded, we can draw an educated conclusion that he did. Why? Because this short letter of only 335 words—tucked between letters to Titus and to the Hebrews—was so revered by the early church that it made its way into the New Testament.

As we look back on this brief letter from one Christ follower to another, it’s stunning to see what love—acted out in real life—can accomplish.

Consider:

Paul poured his heart into Philemon over the years, building Philemon from “convert” to “fellow worker” for the faith (v.1). This is love.

Onesimus owned up to his wrong, returning to Philemon with a heart of submission and a desire for sincere reconciliation. This too, is love.

Next of course, is the man whose name is on the letter, Philemon. We can be confident Philemon responded with our favorite word, Love. 

What were the results of each of these men choosing love?

First, the obvious. For Philemon and Onesimus, the wall between “slave” and “master” fell to the ground. We can guess, Onesimus and Philemon came together as shining lights for the Good News, a stunning example of love in action for friends, neighbors and the community at large. Without a doubt, when people saw these men, many were attracted to this new faith.

Next, as we already pointed out, the early church likely heard the story of these three and of the extraordinary example set, choosing to place this letter in what we refer to as The New Testament. This way, every Christian could read and hear of the impact love can have.

One more thing. Centuries later, this “little” letter was used in Christian countries to argue for the abolition of slavery altogether.

Three men. Each of the three choosing love. They changed their world, and the world to come.

All of which leads to a question. What could happen if each of us, when faced with any situation in front of us, chose love?

Our love might look like Paul’s, pouring into another through encouragement and hope, as we do for fellow staff members and so many who call on our ministries daily. The cost? Time. Effort. Emotional and physical energy.

Or love could look like it did for Onesimus, taking a risk and offering to right a wrong we knowingly or unknowingly created days, weeks, months or years ago.

And love could mean being a Philemon, choosing to forgive even when it costs us. For Philemon, forgiveness meant risking social standing in a community which likely demanded slaves be kept “in their proper place.” And it also meant giving up any right to the work an indentured servant could offer.

It’s hard to see Paul, Onesimus and Philemon saying to themselves, “If I practice love, the effect of this decision will bring thousands or even millions to faith and contribute to the abolition of slavery. One letter outlining this episode will be read by billions across the globe.”

No, they had none of this foresight. But they chose to love.

So, as we consider the people and the real-life situations in front of us, let’s take heart, remembering that choosing love is always a wise decision. We may not see the results today, but we know choosing love has the capacity to change . . . even the world.

Want proof? Let’s ask the three men we read about in the letter to Philemon. If they were to look back on a real-life story about a runaway slave, they might just agree.

Special thanks to Tom Haddon, pastor of Northfield Church in Hendersonville, TN for two sentences on a Sunday morning which prompted Kirk to dig into the story of Paul, Onesimus and Philemon. You never know the impact a pastor’s words might have!

Kirk Walden is Heartbeat International’s former Advancement Specialist, and now works with Heartbeat on special projects such as this. Connect with him via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For speaking engagements, contact Gloria Leyda at Ambassador Speakers Bureau.

by Jor-El Godsey, President
Heartbeat International

“Two are better than one…” says the preacher in Ecclesiastes. Because, well, the word “Ecclesiastes” actually means “preacher.”

Of course, this can be both a controversial statement on parenting structure and a statistical parenting reality in success metrics for children.

It is, after all, that we find in Ecclesiastes - the encouragement for connection revealing that “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor; for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion…”

Enter the dad.

Whether biological, adopted, or spiritual, a dad fits into God’s design that “two are better than one.”

God, Himself, declared this of Adam even while still in the perfection that is the Garden (Genesis 2).

A dad brings many things to the family.

Okay, more than “Dad Jokes” and the globally recognized meaning of “Pull my finger.”

With our eyesight, it is best to have two eyes in order to have the best sense of depth perspective.

With our hearing, two ears can better sense distance and motion from the sounds we hear.

With parenting, a dad adds a dimension of perspective to the lives of children.

When our kids were small, my wife, Karen, was more quickly inclined to say “be careful” at the playground, while I was often quick to say, “How high can you go?” At the pool our directives were similarly disparate.

Our perspective on exploring our world was somewhat different.

Dads often see the world in terms of the challenge.

I’m guessing most kid trips to the Emergency Room started with the phrase, “Watch what I can do, Dad!”

That’s why two are better than one. We need both perspectives – be careful and push farther.

Let's be sure to celebrate the fathers in our movement and the future fathers who walk into our organizations in a particular way this Father's Day.