THE GIFT OF LIFE.

Gloria Phifer

This afternoon, in the hospital, I looked down into the face of my 

first Great granddaughter. What a miracle. She had just been born.

I was thinking back to 1943, when my mother, at the age 17, realized she was pregnant. She was married...but unhappily. In fact, she and my biological father were married and divorced twice.

It was on the second try, that I was conceived. 

My mother was not happy. My grandmother and my aunt talked to her about abortion. My mother had seen her sister go through an abortion, and thankfully she did give birth to a 9 pound baby girl...who she named, Gloria. 

I'm sure my mother loved me, but through the years, she told me I reminded her of my dad, who she said she never loved. she told me I had ruined her body when I was born. When I was a teenager, in front of me, she told my grandmother "Gloria has ruined my life."

As you can imagine...I had a lot of insecurity and little self worth.
Besides being in a household of alcohol. Changing schools 14 times in 12 years. There were times I wondered if life was worth living.

During those years there were times when The Lord would deal with my heart. 
 I almost drowned,at the age of 12, and the boy with me, swimming in the Rio Grande river, did drown."Would I have gone to Heaven?" I couldn't say "Yes", to that question coming in my mind.

 I felt that I should have been the one who died, not my friend. 

My life was really hard, I felt. Then a friend introduced me to a young man from Iowa, who was in the air force. We were both 18 years old. At 19 I married him and through events I ended up in Iowa. He was sent to Alaska through the Air Force and I couldn't go. While he was gone, I had our daughter. Our 1st child. (my mothers 1st grandchild.)

I was telling my husband lately that I never felt safe or secure as a child. I didn't know what peace was. I was always alert. I fought a lot of fear. It became so bad, even though I had a wonderful husband, a child, a home, I didn't know how to cope. I was constantly fighting fear.

I went to church with a neighbor and they told me to begin reading the Bible in the Gospel of John. Every afternoon, as my daughter took a nap, I read.
 I understood. God was calling me to Him. I truly was "born again." and then filled with The Holy Spirit. I was 22 yrs old.

Two more children were added to our family. My mother now had three grandchildren...even though she could not enjoy her family because of addiction.

I am the only one of my mother's children who had children.

 I was the first Christian in our family. I had the wonderful privilege of seeing my mother, brother and step dad receive Christ.

Then my husband and I began having grandchildren (my mothers great grandchildren). What a joy!!! 

what a joy to live in peace. To know The Lord...to have a family.

So this afternoon, as I looked into the beautiful face of my first great grandchild I thanked The Lord. He has given life. He has given posterity. He has given peace and harmony. He has given family.

My mother and step dad are in Heaven now...she would be a great, great grandmother today. Thank God she let a baby girl, named Gloria, be Born.

 One of the things that really has helped me was when The Lord revealed to my heart, I was not born for my parents...I was born for Him...For my God Who gave me life. Thank You Lord for bringing me into Your Salvation...into Your family...I am Your daughter...the daughter of The King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And Thank You Lord for our family. I have lived to see our Great Grandchild and more to come. I am truly blessed.

Love and grace to you

                                                    Gloria Phifer

In my writing "The Maker Wept", it is never my intention to condemn anyone. I would like to reach out a

hand of love and grace to you.  Abortion leaves wounded, fractured, hurting people.   I have two aunts who

had abortions and one greatly suffered afterwards with depression.  My mother who was 17 was pressured

to abort me...which you can read  in my writing on "The Granting Of Posterity" on this site.(6/18)

Jesus arms are always open to the hurting. Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and
carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

I believe with all my heart these babies are in heaven with Jesus. For more comfort I recommend a book.

"Heaven is for real." It is an account of a four year old boy who died and returned to tell of what he saw in

Heaven. He saw his sister ( who his mother had miscarried) and he had never known that, being only 4 yrs old. He tells of seeing all the happy children in heaven.

Jesus not only weeps for the children. He weeps for us in our brokenness and woundedness...that is why we

need a Savior Who forgives and restores and redeems...His Name is JESUS...Romans 10:13 "Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord (Jesus) will be saved.

Love to you...Glory

THE MAKER WEPT

                                                    

                                                       

THE MAKER WEPT

Gloria Phifer

     The alabaster halls were filled with activity, as each Gift of Joy was presented to

The Maker before delivery.

     Reviewing His craftsmanship, the Maker displayed His pleasure, as He

Bestowed His personal seal.  With each Bundle He placed a document, which

read as follows:

     "Greetings from the Maker of all good and perfect gifts:

     Please find enwrapped an endowment of immeasurable value…a Gift of Joy!

It is rare and unique: never to be produced again.

     Great responsibility and pleasure are extended toward you in the care, handling

and maturity of this Gift.

     In the measure of time this Bundle will produce abilities and qualities that are to

Be used for the Makers glory.

     From this Gift, an inheritance of great bounty will be brought forth for generations to come"

     Each Bundle was wrapped with love and sped to its destination. Many were received with thankfulness…but not so with others…

     Crying messengers filled the alabaster halls bearing their grievous news to the Maker of all:

     "Sir, we come with sorrowful tidings.  Millions of the Gifts of Joy have been rejected and returned unopened.  To make matters worse, they have been ill-treated, abused and destroyed."

     The Maker rose from His regal throne and descended to the Gate of Receiving.

Bending over, He tenderly touched the crushed, torn and broken bundles.  Their joy, uniqueness and promise would be forever unknown.

                            All was silent…The Maker wept!

             

THE GRANTING OF POSTERITY

THE GRANTING OF POSTERITY

Gloria Phifer

As I view the news with abortion and women's rights being an on going debate;

I am deeply stirred.  It reminds me of an incident that occurred in our family during

The Second World War….

In the year 1943, a seventeen year old war bride, disillusioned with a hasty marriage;

Left behind by a husband going overseas; and having to move back with her big

Family; discovered she was pregnant.

When she revealed her condition to her mother and older sister their solution was…"abort the baby".

The young expectant mother struggled with her situation. She had seen one of her sisters make the decision for abortion and had seen her sad and depressed.

She had the conviction that the child she carried must be given life.

Come December, in a makeshift, Doctor's office/hospital, the young woman gave birth to a nine pound baby girl.  When the mother and daughter returned to the crowded household, they were welcomed with joy.  Young aunts and uncles received the child as one of their own.  The grandmother and older sister, whose only solution had been an abortion, now cuddled and loved the baby girl.  What had been perceived as an unwanted dilemma, now was a blessing…a gift to the family.

As you may have guessed I was that baby girl; my mother's only daughter. Although I knew I was born during a difficult time of my mother's life; it was later on in my life that she told me about the discussion of abortion. I couldn't even imagine my grandmother and aunt suggesting abortion, for they always loved me dearly. 

As my mother looked around at my three children she remarked, "Thank God I didn't have an abortion or I would have nothing now."  You see, my children were my mother's only grandchildren.  If she had chosen to abort me she would have been destroying her posterity.

I will always be grateful to my mother for giving me birth.  Life is precious.  Every human being denied the privilege of living leaves a vacancy in all mankind.  With the dawning of a new generation, will our nation awake to the sad discovery, that in allowing the abortion of millions of babies we have destroyed our posterity?

Note:  I wrote this article for our home town paper, the Press Citizen, it was published in 1987.  Since then my mother has passed away.  Our posterity continues: My husband and I have seven grandchildren.  Thanks be to God…He is the Giver of life.