Christian

Disclaimer: Please note that the words below are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of my family, friends, employer, etc.

Before I start, I want to say that I am pro-vaccine.

From the time I was a baby, I’ve received many vaccinations—Polio, measles, mumps, rubella, all the usual shots they give to kids. I think I will always be amazed that we managed to stomp out Polio, a disease that was still a very real threat when my parents were young.

When I heard there were vaccines coming out for COVID-19, I was thrilled. I eagerly waited my turn as New York slowly rolled out the Pfizer and Moderna shots, prioritizing certain professions and age groups first. It was like waiting to get my braces taken off, and I began to look toward the future with hope that life will finally start to look normal again.

As someone who has both an autoimmune disease and anemia, I was able to get vaccinated before my age bracket opened by getting a doctor’s note. I got my second Pfizer shot the day after people my age were allowed to get the vaccine. Though the second shot gave me more side effects than the first, I was glad I got it done and did my part in protecting myself and others against COVID-19. (Protecting the most vulnerable is also important to me as one of my closest friends was in the hospital for several months after COVID-19 ravaged her body and almost killed her.)

The feel-good sense of accomplishment I felt after getting vaccinated was soon deflated, however, when I discovered something that I wish I knew before I was vaccinated: though the vaccines were not produced using stem cells from aborted fetal tissue, they were tested on cell lines from aborted fetuses.

This information did not sit right with me as someone who is pro-life, and I wish more people knew about it. Over the past few months, I rolled my eyes at the various conspiracy theories I saw on social media about the vaccine, but no one had actually mentioned this real issue.

Once I found out, I felt obligated to let others know, which is why I am writing this blog post. To be clear, I’m not telling you what to do. I just want to make sure you are making an informed decision.

There is certainly hope that an ethically-tested vaccine may be released by the end of 2021 at the earliest, and I would strongly recommend that if you choose to get vaccinated, go for that one. We cannot reach herd immunity until more people are vaccinated!

In the meantime, you can continue to do your part in protecting society’s most vulnerable by wearing a face mask, washing your hands, and continuing to social distance. Though I am vaccinated, I will be continuing to take these measures as the vaccine does not prevent you from catching COVID-19, it will just prevent you from getting a severe case that will land you in the hospital.

You can also sign Children of God for Life’s petition to stop the use of aborted fetal cell lines for medical products. If there is enough demand for both ethical manufacturing and testing of vaccines, then hopefully the pharmaceutical companies will take note and change their processes.

Whatever you decide or have decided to do regarding the vaccine, I hope you are safe, healthy, and doing well. Let’s continue to love our neighbor—whether fully grown or unborn—during this pandemic.

Blessings,
Nicole

Further reading/Resources:

Children of God for Life – Guidance on Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine

Charlotte Lozier Institute – What You Need to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccine

John Piper touches on this topic here: https://youtu.be/cwWjf86FiCg

She stood next to me during worship, and her beautiful voice sang softly as the song ended and we shifted to spontaneous praise.

“I love you, Lord…”

I felt a pang in my heart as I listened. Her words were so sweet and pure, like she was whispering into the Savior’s ear.

I wish I loved God like that, I thought. When worship was over, we went downstairs to eat snacks and desserts. She sat across from me and my mom and candidly shared her testimony. She had been a believer for about 5 years. She was a single mom. Her ex was a horrible man. Even as she spoke of what she endured, there was a calm happiness in her voice. She came a long way from where she was.

I’ve been following the Lord for longer than her. How come I don’t love Him more like she does?

I remembered another sister in the Lord from a different church. I had visited her church a few times, and whenever she testified, prayed, or conversed with people, there was this radiant love pouring out from her. Even when she wasn’t talking about God, the evidence of her love for Him sprinkled her voice and her demeanor. She regarded each person she came across with love and respect. She had a dark past, but she was redeemed from it and had purposed in her heart to never go back to where she was before. She was secure in her walk and her identity was firmly rooted in who God said she was.

I looked at her and thought, I wish I had a relationship with God like that.

Then I finally realized…I can! I can be closer to God, all I need to do is draw near. God is no respecter of persons, so He doesn’t “play favorites” with us. All of us have the potential to have a deep, intimate relationship with the Lord. As I read once in a devotional, “you can have as much of God as you want.”

Ah, but that’s the catch. You can have as much of God as you want. Many of us who are saved are still content to just keep God at arm’s length. Because the closer I get, the more my life may change. I may start to perceive the world differently. I may have to give something up, or I may have to do something outside my comfort zone, or I may have to show God’s love to someone I don’t like. I might even get attacked.

But those fears, while valid, are not worth entertaining. One thing I’ve learned in my own walk with God is that we don’t go from point A to point Z in a day–at least, that’s not the usual case. For example, over a year ago I started to spend more time with God, reading His Word and praying. As I grew closer to Him, some of the toxic media that I used to like didn’t interest me anymore. I stopped listening to certain singers and got rid of certain books. It didn’t feel like a big loss to me–God had changed my perspective, and I started to see the world through a different lens.

The choice is always mine–God isn’t going to force me to do anything for Him. The same way I can draw near, I can also pull back–but when I’m not seeking God, I can feel the difference. I’ve realized how much He completes me, how He supplies the joy and strength that I lack, how He gets me through the day. When I don’t nourish my spirit, I become spiritually “hangry.” In fact, I’ve been spiritually hangry for the past week. I’ve been battling lots of questions but haven’t been actively seeking any answers. So I’m going to spend some time with God after I post this.

We can all be close to God. Don’t be afraid to draw near.

~Nikita

Tag: Christian

I got vaccinated against COVID-19, but…

Wanting to Draw Near