When Susan unexpectedly became pregnant she hoped that her partner would be supportive; she never imagined that he would threaten to commit suicide if she didn't abort the baby. She was left reeling after hearing her partner's demands to abort and had no idea how she was supposed to make such a difficult decision. Fearing what her friends and family would say if she sought advice, Susan quietly struggled with the problem alone. Miraculously, a sign came to her in the most unlikely of places: a commercial that played during the Superbowl was just the encouragement she needed to find the strength to keep her child.
The commercial that Susan saw while watching the Superbowl was from Focus on the Family, an organization that provides Christian advice on marriage, parenting, and other topics. The commercial featured player Tim Tebow's mother, who explained that Tim is her "miracle baby" and that he almost didn't make it. At the end of the thirty-second spot, the commercial reads, "Celebrate family. Celebrate Life." It was a subtle message, it wasn't trying to be preachy, and this resonated deeply with Susan. In an interview with Focus on the Family Susan explains, "I wanted to be critical. I wanted to bash this horrible 'anti-choice' commercial. But as we watched, everyone agreed that it was a positive commercial with an encouraging message — not one of judgement or condemnation." Later that night, Susan went on the Focus on the Family website and found an interview with Tim Tebow's parents in which his mother explained that doctors had told her to abort her unborn son because of medical complications. Susan felt like this interview was meant for her and that, in this moment, the Tebows' message was exactly what she needed to hear.
Susan then decided to reach out to Focus on the Family via email, and one of their staff members responded with encouragement and information to help her through her difficult decision. Susan was struck by how nonjudgemental this person was; she says that her correspondent offered advice, but didn't try to tell Susan whether she was right or wrong. Later that evening, Susan decided she would keep the baby. She was wonderfully surprised to find out that Focus on the Family kept checking up on her; they sent cards and a present for the baby. These small gestures reminded Susan that someone truly cared about her and her child; even after her child's father had walked out, she knew she wasn't alone.
Sadly, the decision that Susan had to make is quite common; countless young women struggle to find answers after learning of an unexpected pregnancy, so it's wonderful to know that organizations like Focus on the Family are there to help counsel these women in a nonjudgmental, compassionate, and encouraging way. What do you think of Susan's story? Would you have made the same choice? Have you ever heard of Focus on the Family before?
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