Last Tuesday morning I turned the corner onto the street leading to our local library to take my toddler to storytime, and this is what greeted me.
It caught me so off guard that I did a quick U-turn in the middle of the street to go back and make sure I saw what I think I saw. That’s when I stopped to take this picture.
Twenty-seven weeks pregnant myself, I literally started hyperventalating. My whole body shook, I gripped the steering wheel, I couldn’t breathe, and tears barreled down my face. “Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus! Come today.” That’s all I could say.
“Mommy, you sad?” my two-year-old said over and over again from the back seat.
I pulled into a parking space next to another mom getting her children out of her car. “We have to stop right now and pray, baby,” I said to my toddler. “You want to pray with Mommy?” Both hands at the top of the steering wheel I bowed my head and prayed out loud, “Jesus save the babies. Jesus help the mamas who have to make hard decisions today. Give them courage. Give them another choice. Speak into their souls. Save the man at the end of this street. And Jesus, please come back . . . today.”
There’s no telling what the woman getting out of her car next to me thought, and to be honest I didn’t care. I got out of the car not even wiping my eyes, masscara obviously smeared underneath, and I marched into the library and up to the front desk, holding my daughter’s hand.
Barely getting the words out I said to the librarian, “I know this man is probably in his legal rights of his freedom of speech, but I have to tell you how disappointed and distraught I am to drive into the library on a day when mamas – expecting and with little ones in tow – are filing in for storytime. Unless everyone else has the freedom of speech to stand on streets and declare murder to other specific groups of people, he shouldn’t either.” She gave me a number to call the city and complain to them.
Here we are a week later, and I open up Facebook. I see this post from Russell Moore.
What? As someone who is vehemently against Planned Parenthood, I scrolled down to find out what article this is referring to, and this is what I read:
For a week now it’s been in my heart and on my mind to write about how we, as Christians, need to get bolder about standing up to these keystone issues in which women and children are being oppressed, tortured, and killed. Issues such as human-trafficking, sex-trafficking, pornography, and abortion, just to name a few.
What’s so concerning to me is every time I post a picture of my darling toddler my social media pages get several “likes”. I post about women or children being tortured and no one seems to notice. Something’s not right with this picture.
**This video is disturbing.
But at the same time, I get it. For the past week the Holy Spirit has gently nudged me to make a statement because silence is a form of consent. But I’ve been scared.
Believe it or not, every time I post something on my Facebook page, controversial or not, I get a little queasy stomached. Because I don’t want to offend people, and I do care (too much) about what other people think of me.
God is convicting me of this, though, and calling me to stand-up and speak-out. Not because I have all the answers. Not because I’m more righteous or holier than anyone else. But because I have the means to do so. And with the means to do so comes responsibility.
I’m afraid one of two things are happening: 1. Christians are living in their Christian bubble and truly unaware of what’s really going on in our country and world and need to know. Or 2. Christians know what’s going on but want to pretend they don’t because the thought of it hurts too bad, they can’t fix it, and they don’t want to offend other people.
But friends, “blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:4). We are called to cry, weep, wail, and mourn for sin in our world. If we are truly disciples of Jesus, we need to be more concerned than we are.
It’s okay to not know the answers. It’s okay to feel helpless and hopeless. It’s okay to be sad. God is bigger than all of this.
So this post is an act of obedience to not be afraid of what others think of me for posting controversial articles or articles that are not “feel good”. I am sure people will “unlike” it and not want to read or follow anymore, and that is okay. For now on I am going to do my best to answer to God.
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
Friends, in these days are are being called to be bold. Bold and loving are not antonyms. That’s what our culture wants us to believe, but it’s simply not true.
[Love] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6).
So what do we do? I do not know all the answers. I am quite aware that this is larger than any one person. But there are some things we can do to support life and not abortion or human-trafficking.
1. Pray.
Each morning pray for the women across this world who have to make really tough decisions about their unborn babies. Pray for women who truly cannot afford to care for their children. Pray for women who have been raped. Pray for women who are hopeless and don’t see another solution. Pray for open doors. Pray for courage. Pray for more foster and adoptive families. Pray for a conviction of heart. Pray for change in legislation. And pray for each and every sweet, unborn soul.
2. Use social media.
Social media is powerful because it makes people aware. Don’t be afraid to use it. I like Twitter because even though I don’t use it socially much, I can tweet politicians and other higher ups and know that someone in their camp, most likely them, saw my comment. I don’t expect them to respond. They most likely won’t. But they saw it and that’s all that matters.
3. Support alternatives to abortion.
If you know a family who is trying to adopt a child, support them! Help them raise money, donate to their adoption fundraising, and pray for them.
Support foster families. Even if you do not feel called to adopt or foster a child, you can support those who do through prayer, financial support, and even just your time volunteering with helping these family.
Here is an organization that helps to support foster families in the Atlanta area. Find out what churches have similar ministries.
4. Volunteer at your local Christian Pregnancy Care Center.
Yes, give your time mentoring a woman who is contemplating abortion but wants another answer. And donate needed items like diapers, wipes, etc.
Here’s our local Pregnancy Care Center.
We can’t just sit around and say “Abortion is evil” and not be willing to help with the solution. As the pastor of Northpoint Community Church in Atlanta, Andy Stanley, says, “Do for one what you wish you could do for many.”
5. Vote!
Personally, I will not vote for anyone who supports abortion of any kind, for any reason. If there are no candidates who meet this criteria, then I simply won’t vote. Why? Because I have to answer to God one day. Human souls are all that are going to heaven. All the other issues are temporary. The effects of abortion are eternal.
6. Do not support Planned Parenthood.
Friends, I write this post 28 weeks pregnant. My baby is kicking me right now as I type these words, letting me know she is there, alive and well and whole. I miscarried my seven-week-old baby last November. I delivered him or her right there in the toilet in my bathroom. I saw a seven-week-old baby. Look up a picture on the internet, and that is what I saw.
Whether 28 weeks or one week, a baby is a baby. And it is not an extension of a woman’s body. It is a completely separate person – body, mind, and soul.
We must be bold. God is calling us to be bold.
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