"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven," Ecclesiastes 3:1
Our lives are marked by seasons and eras in which God works out His divine plan in the pages of our humble existence. The Lord has called me out on some very hard seasons in which I have wrestled through life experiences with what at times seems like a heavy load. I can only come to the conclusion that He has some big plans for my life. For five years I was in what I called a season of sovereignty. For me a sovereign season was a time of rest and blindly trusting that God would carry through on His promises. About a year ago, I sensed a shifting in my perspective in which He has been transitioning me into a season of redemption. My season of redemption has been much more active, a time to gain back ground in many aspects of my life. In this season, God has walked me through my past in order to address and heal through some of my painful experiences, and He is guiding me on new territory in my spiritual walk and in my writing. I sense that God is calling me to speak the truth and take a stand on what is important to Him.
THE SOCIAL ACTIVIST
In the process of redemption, I have spent some time reflecting on the controversy surrounding our recent presidential election and the social demonstrations that followed as well as reminiscing about my experiences as a social work student at Kansas State University 20 years ago. In those days, I was an impressionable young lady determined to become a world changer that would make a difference. Entering into the Social Work Program, my eyes were opened up to new perspectives about our culture and social injustice. I immersed myself in my classes about diversity, enthused to be an activist that embraced cultural and social enrichment. One of my professors once told me that I had more passion about my research on diversity than most graduate students. I sometimes sat in the cafeteria with diverse populations of students from other cultures just to get a taste of what it was like to be a minority, and I frequently had coffee sessions with the student association for gays and lesbians with a goal to understand their culture and educate others in the community about the social issues they faced. When there was racial division in our classroom, I spoke up and read Maya Angelou poetry and literature from my women's studies class, attempting to bridge the gap regarding perspectives on white privilege. I was passionate about what I believed and wanted to help others to see the world from the lens handed to me.
THE INFLUENCE OF WOMEN
There were three women who had a dramatic impact on my perspectives on diversity and women's issues while in college. Each one of them was very different, and they influenced me in very different ways. My first encounter was with an energized professor of social work who had a persona that exuded culture and grace. Everything about her radiated with soul and beauty. When the students of color called her Dr. McGowan, they illuminated with pride. When Dr. McGowan spoke, the energy of her personality came out with flare, and when she called us "wise ones", I wanted to jump up and change the world! She taught us about the term "cultural competence" and understanding worldviews from a diverse perspective. Dr. McGowan encouraged us to educate ourselves about politics and social issues so we could meet with our representatives to discuss them competently. When I expressed my desire to be a mediator between different political stances, my professor looked at me sadly and said that it would be a lonely road. She seemed to understand the hardships of our unjust world, and she met those hardships with grace, dignity, and spirit.
Another woman who shaped my knowledge about culture and women's issues was my women's studies professor who went by her first name, Marlene. Marlene was a quirky woman with a quiet unassuming spirit and identified herself as a lesbian. She was passionate about working with women who were victims of domestic violence and rape. She also counseled women on body image issues such as eating disorders and cutting, and held classes for smoking cessation. She encouraged her students to get involved on campus and volunteer for social organizations. She set up training and volunteer opportunities at the local women's shelter. Marlene and I clicked right away because we both shared a love for poetry and literature. When I took one of her master's classes on women's literature and culture, she educated us about other cultures and their worldviews that differ from our western worldview. Marlene encouraged me to enter one of my essays, a pastoral look at hardship through the eyes of an impoverished South American culture, for a writing contest with the Sociology and Women's Studies Program. She proudly stood by my side when I was awarded the honor for my essay at a department banquet. Marlene was a gentle and humble woman who looked out for her students and got in the trenches to make a difference.
The third woman who influenced my perspective on diversity and women was a fellow student. Brenda was a nontraditional student that wanted to make a difference through a career in social work. Brenda was paralyzed from the waist down and used an electric scooter to get around. She never let her physical impairment get in the way of what she wanted. Brenda was passionate, funny, outgoing, and full of joy. She loved to talk, and we would spend hours chatting on the phone. Brenda considered herself to be a Christian and a feminist. She wasn't afraid to be bold and share her views, and she was always up for a good debate. We differed in our views about abortion because I was pro-choice and she was pro-life. I remember debating the issue with her once, and she stopped me in my tracks as I was trying to defend a woman's right in certain circumstances to terminate pregnancy. Realizing what I was about to say, she told me, "You mean what about babies with disabilities, right Darcee?" I lost touch with Brenda after graduation, and I would love to reconnect with her again. She was a very special friend and mentor to me!
MY "DAMASCUS EXPERIENCE"
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26
Three women influenced my life as I graduated college, ready to change the world! I was an activist, a change maker, and excited about what life had to offer. I had a chip on my shoulder towards religion as I perceived most Christians to be judgmental and limited in their thinking. A week after graduation, I moved away to start a summer internship in northern Wisconsin and finish my electives through the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. In Wisconsin, I met my future husband, Mel, and experienced a dramatic turn of events. My initial "Damascus experience" as I called it started one fall day around Thanksgiving at a Walmart in Eau Claire. I was shopping with Mel feeling very lost and confused. We were facing some difficult decisions about our relationship and future, and I was angry at God and with religion. I vividly remember standing in the store, picking out a Christmas movie, when we were both struck with a feeling of God steering our choices, an experience I can barely describe with words. I can only say it was a nudge, answer to a stranger's prayer--an answer that would change the entire course of our relationship, future, and faith.
In the next year and a half, a lot had happened in our relationship. We were living in the Hudson area, trying to turn our lives around and facing quite a few rocky moments along the way. One night, just before Easter, Mel and I were at church together singing a worship song, when God spoke to both of us in different yet similar ways. I felt like a young Samuel, when God spoke my name. The conversation went something like this, "Darcee, it's time." ... Time for what? ... "Darcee, it's time. I want you to do My ministry." ... What are you talking about? People with think I'm crazy or a religious nut! ... "Darcee, it's time. I want you to do My ministry."
This conversation went on in my mind as Mel and I took our infant daughter and our niece, Mindy, on a drive through Birkmose Park. I mentally said to God, I don't think I can do this. How will people understand? What will my family say? Will they think I'm crazy? What am I supposed to do? God simply said, "Read My word and I will show you the way." He wanted me to trust Him and read His word, simple as that. That night, I resigned myself to His will feeling as though I was struck by a great light like Paul on the road to Damascus, I was suddenly filled with an incredible sense of peace and power in my spirit. I remembered a similar feeling about thirteen years prior when I answered a call to make a profession of faith, but this time it was stronger and more vivid. That night changed my life, and I was never the same.
A TWIST OF DESTINY
Since that night at Birkmose Park, my life was transformed and changed. Mel and I eventually moved to a smaller town where we settled and grew our family. We continued to attend the same church in which we experienced God's intervention, and He called upon both of our lives in very specific intentional ways. I practiced as a social worker in the long-term care setting, and my ideals as a college activist were replaced with a desire to serve God. I worked at a facility in the twin cities run by an organization that encouraged spiritual worship and prayer for the benefit of the residents. I was conducting a weekly international prayer group for staff from various cultures. What an incredible experience to hear various women pray in their native tongues! I loved it, and I met some wonderful women from India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sierre Leone, and other African countries. They were true sisters of faith to me!
God had dramatically changed my heart and my worldview. My objectives as an activist took on a twist of destiny five years after having a miscarriage that tested my faith, I was attending a church service when I heard a woman named Carla speak about her experience having an abortion. Thinking about my grief over my unborn child and my past views on abortion, her testimony touched my heart in a profound way. Somewhere along the way, I had realized that as a mom and a Christian, I was pro-life, but I never grasped what that really meant until I heard Carla speak. Her testimony is here and speaks for itself.
THE DARE FOR "SUCH A TIME AS THIS"
That day, I approached Carla and explained how much her testimony impacted me. A couple of years later, I reconnected with Carla on Facebook where she has actively discussed her stance on abortion. I witnessed Carla's courage as she faced opposition from pro-choice and pro-abortion activists who called her derogatory names for saying that she regretted her abortion. She also received criticism from a few extremists in the pro-life movement who told her she didn't deserve forgiveness for having an abortion. Carla remained strong and unmoving in her faith, and she has been committed to love and show compassion for other women who have had abortions and are grieving. She has also been passionate about educating others about the truth behind the abortion industry and the eugenics movement in our culture. With extra time on my hands because I was home bound with a chronic health condition, I began to do my own research. Carla suggested some resources and loaned me a few videos. I was astounded by the roots behind our abortion industry and the racist eugenics agenda that was being swept under the rug by both our culture and the founder of one of the top abortion industries. It was eye opening and shocking to say the least.
I was uncertain as to what to do with this enlightenment about the abortion industry, but I kept the knowledge tucked away until I had a better grasp of how to engage the next step. As God has been moving me towards a season of redemption, I began to feel the nudge to do more and speak up. Recently, I responded to that nudge and dared to take the first few steps of faith to take a stand for life and for truth. It seemed like dangerous ground to tread, and I thought of Queen Esther who was called out to speak "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). I have taken a step of faith to bring the truth about abortion and eugenics to light in a manner that does not to judge or dislike those who took the path of abortion or who are opposed to my views. It is about loving others unconditionally, getting down to the facts, sharing the truth, and allowing God to do the rest.
A NEW PERSPECTIVE
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10
My worldview on diversity and women's issues were shaped by an enthusiastic and inspiring educator on diversity, a compassionate and unassuming women's studies professor, a dear college friend and mentor, and a humble woman courageous enough to say she regretted her abortion. When it comes to calling myself an "activist" or a "feminist", I choose not to align myself with a label or name that follows partisan affiliations. I call my view on diversity and women's issues by what God's word says about it in Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are ALL one in Christ Jesus." I believe this goes the same for all race and culture. I align my views on life and humanity by Psalm 139:13, "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." We are ALL beautifully made in God's image and ALL life and ALL people are precious and sacred in God's sight. As for my previous affiliations with diversity and the challenges that go with it, I figure the gospel will cover that, and I don't worry about it because "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Regardless of what my current stance is on activism and social issues, I believe that Christ is the redeemer of ALL things and has the power to take these experiences and make them into something that points to His glory. I don't need to be embarrassed or hide my past just as I am not ashamed to be the woman that I have become, transformed on my own "Damascus road", called out for "such a time as this" as a dare to simply tell the truth, and the truth has set me free!
EUGENICS AND ABORTION
Eugenics is a belief that the human population can be improved by discouraging reproduction of humans with genetic defects or undesirable traits through means such as birth control, forced sterilization, and abortion. Many are unaware of the eugenics movement in the U.S. including sterilization laws that were implemented and practiced up until the 1970's. Our abortion industry was founded on these ideals by an organization called the American Birth Control League in 1921. The American Birth Control League was later renamed Planned Parenthood. The overwhelming evidence of this organization's desire to wipe out minority groups speaks for itself. If you are pregnant and considering an abortion, know that you are not alone and there are organizations that can help you. You can contact your local pregnancy resource center for support and assistance. https://www.care-net.org/what-is-a-pregnancy-center
There are also resources the offer compassion and support for those who have had an abortion and grieving: http://www.rachelsvineyard.org/
For additional support and resources, you can contact Carla Stream directly by email at carlastream@gmail.com.
For more information about eugenics and the abortion industry, you can check out these links.
http://www.maafa21.com/
http://www.wral.com/news/video/9755940/
http://www.priestsforlife.org/africanamerican/blog/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLqIYtmWpaI
http://www.toomanyaborted.com/sanger/
http://liveaction.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI
