As a Christian and a mother, I feel the sorrow surrounding the plight of the unborn, all the innocent lives “lost in the name of choice.”  In fact, this is a subject that I have felt the Lord impressing on my heart to involve myself in for years. While I’ve always prayed for the moving of the Holy Spirit to end the war on babies in the womb, regretably, I’ve done little more.

     During my eighteen years as an editor/publisher of a faith-based women’s magazine, I interviewed and wrote about women impacted by abortion in different ways. One of the stories that moved me most was that of Annelle Osbourne, who miraculously and literally survived a failed abortion attempt by her birth mother. A strong woman of faith, Annelle’s story has touched many lives. While the situation that leads to a decision to end a pregnancy is indeed personal, what follows is common. The sorrow, regret, and shame that dwells in the aftermath of abortion clings to the hearts of mothers and fathers for years, decades, and even, sadly, a lifetime, if not surrendered to Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Several years ago, I was also blessed to meet Jeannie Scott Smith, the Director of Coastline Women’s Center, in Conway, South Carolina. Jeanne is an incredible, godly woman with her own story of overcoming regret and shame of a past abortion. She turned that pain into a mission, dedicating her life to the work of ending abortion and ministering to the women and men who suffer post-abortion trauma.

     I believe that for various reasons and purposes, God keeps the plight of the unborn and those suffering from its aftermath on my heart. Most importantly, I now realize that my response cannot be passive or silent. I can no longer deny the call on my heart to be part of offering hope, healing, and support to the unborn and to families affected. This conviction brings me to  The Least of These.

    As a writer, my default is to put my feelings down on paper. In November 2024, with my heart heavy for the unborn, I poured my emotions out in song form. For more than a year, I thought the name of the song was Silenced Cries. One year after writing the lyrics, Candace Williams, my friend and former worship leader at Friendship Baptist Church, joined me at Serenity Studios in Bladenboro, North Carolina, where we spent the day recording Silenced Cries. During the recording process, I began to feel that something was not right.  However, by then, a wonderful group of instrumentalists had already spent the week before laying down the music tracks. At that point, I convinced myself it was just the gitters of being in a recording studio for the first time.

     After receiving the demo, I knew that my initial feelings in the studio that day were right.  I worried and prayed over it, examined the lyrics adnauseum. Still, my spiritual discernment failed to shed any light on the problem, though I had no doubt there was one. At that point, I had begun to question if God had led me to write the song, placed the lyrics on my heart, or wanted me share it.   

     On a Friday night, emotionally exhausted and feeling physically battered from all the invisible walls I had slammed into, I reached the destination that I believe God patiently waits for His children to arrive. I was at the end of myself.  “On my knees,” as my song’s lyrics proclaim,  I spoke the words that led to my breakthrough. “God, I surrender this song to you. I know there’s something I’m missing or not right within this message, maybe even the entire song. I just don’t know what that is, and I need you to show me.”

     I felt peace in that surrender and fell asleep feeling lighter in spirit than I had felt in weeks. The relief came in being reminded that I can’t, but God can.  I had come so far in this journey that I even accepted the fact that maybe sharing my song wasn’t meant to be, as I knew it wasn’t ready at that point.  When I woke the following morning, for the first time since recording the original version, I did not immediately begin to think about the song. It didn’t cross my mind until I proceeded to make my cup of morning coffee, and the words, “The least of these,” entered my thoughts. I know the scripture well from which that is written, so my next thought was, ‘What’s this about?’ I only spent a few seconds pondering before I knew the answer. It was one of those “I know that I know that I know, moments.”  I raced to my laptop, pulled up the Silenced Cries lyrics, and went to work on what I had no doubt God had shown me was missing. The simple line,  For the least of these,  found in Matthew  25:40, was the missing verse that changed everything. “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”  Oh, what a powerful few words! The Least of These became the new title for the song.

     I had written the original chorus as, “I’m on my knees, begging God, please, break our hearts for unborn life.” Yet, the simple change to "I'm on my knees, for the least of these,"  felt so obvious in my moment of clarity that I’m not sure why I didn't realize it earlier.  However, Romans 8:8 reminds me that God is always at work in every aspect.  “And we know that in all things, God works for the good for those who love the Lord, and are called according to His purpose.” Therefore, I trust the journey and His purpose for this song... and for my life.  
     Finally, there was one other change I made to the original lyrics that morning, and it had been in the making for over a year as well. When I first played the song for Doug Coffeen, one of the most ardent supporters of the pro-life cause I know, he had two things to say. First, “I believe this song is anointed, and it is for such a time as this.” And, “you need to include something about the fathers as well as mothers.” The thing is, I knew Doug was right; however, I just couldn’t make it work at that time. So, I consoled myself and offered to Doug that I would include men in the video I was creating for the song to represent fathers. I now believe that leaving out men in the song would have rendered the message inadequate, as fathers of the unborn babies who are aborted need the same message of forgiveness and hope as the mothers.  The final verse begins, “This is for the mothers, and fathers,” and is the result of that breakthrough. Thank you, Doug, for your discernment and wisdom, and for a great big heart for the unborn.

     To release The Least of These for the Annual March for Life events, we had to do some quick re-recording. Thankfully,  it all came together - just in time. I want to share that while Candace Williams is an accomplished singer and pianist, I certainly am not. Still, my humble efforts are given to the glory of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.  It is my faithful prayer that the words of this song will be magnified, high and lifted, for the precious souls and sacred life of the unborn, as well as all who suffer from a difficult decision made in the past. While the sad truth of abortion is indeed heavy and sorrowful, with Jesus Christ, there is hope. There is forgiveness. There is redemption.   

     I want to thank a few people who have supported me throughout this journey, from writing the lyrics to recording, then re-recording, and many places in between. To Dan Shelley, Doug and Cyndy Coffen, and Joe Page, your belief in this song and the mission for which it all flows means more to me than I can say. I couldn’t have done it had it not been for God impressing upon your hearts to pray, love, and repeat. Candace Williams, thank you for spending an entire day in the recording studio with me, even though you had other things to do. And, thank you for not getting mad at me when I called you after all that to say, “It has to be redone.” To Scott and Dottie Collins, thank you for listening to my story and loving me anyway. To Mike Milligan at Serenade Studios and his team, including the musicians, I appreciate you putting up with us two greenhorns. You all are professionals at your craft. And may God bless Brandon Gleason, producer and mixing engineer, out of Nashville, for coming to my last-minute rescue. Brandon made time for me in his packed schedule to get the new version ready to release in just a couple of days. To everyone in the small, intimate circle who listened to my song,  encouraged and prayed for this mission, thank you. (This included my sisters, who never tell me they're tired of hearing my songs, even when they are). I love you all.  Finally, to all who have downloaded or shared this song, watched the video, or just taken the time to read this, thank you, and God bless you. 

     Most importantly, please, PRAY FOR... THE LEAST OF THESE.

 

     In God's Great and Endless Love,

 

     Melia Flowers

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