By now you may have heard about (or watched) the videos exposing Planned Parenthood and their horrific practices. We all knew what they did before these videos were released, but now we can see it with our own eyes and hear their agenda with our own ears.
Perhaps, like me, you've seen some of these videos and are awakened again to the horror of abortion and the need for Christians to involve themselves in the pro-life cause (for the sake of baby and mother). But maybe you are also like me and wonder how to do that when your plate is full with children of your own. You want to walk the talk by volunteering in a crisis pregnancy clinic or counseling a woman in need, but your season doesn't give you the freedom to do that. You want to do something, but you don't know where to begin. I've been praying about this very thing since I watched the first video, and here is what I've come up with.
Love the Kids You Have
Perhaps one of the most compelling counters to the culture of death that Planned Parenthood perpetuates is when mothers keep, love, and provide for their children no matter the cost to their own lives. Having a baby takes a toll on any mom, some more than others. When the world around you sees you endure terrible morning sickness, complicated pregnancies, difficult deliveries, sleepless nights, endless feedings, loss of time to yourself, lifelong care of a special needs child, and all of the many ways a mother must die daily to herself, the world does not understand.
When we love the children we have, despite what it costs us whether in the short term or long term, the world takes notice.
The abortion movement is built on death, but not death the way Jesus called us to die. So when we love the children we have, despite what it costs us whether in the short term or long term, the world takes notice.
Love the Lives Lost
It's not just babies lost through abortion that we should grieve. For every baby born in your church there is most likely a woman who either cannot get pregnant or has lost a baby of her own. We walk the talk when we love and understand these women well. Know her baby's due date or birthday, and remember it. Include the woman who can't get pregnant in your daily life, even if it is chaotic. Help her see that she is not forgotten even though she doesn't have children on earth (or at all). Help her to see that she matters in the church regardless of the fullness of her arms. We can honor all life by grieving over every single soul that is lost in death and weeping for the ones that never even existed.
Love the Life That Is Coming
In some of our evangelical circles, babies are a dime a dozen. Maybe additional babies put a strain on your church's resources. Maybe they put a strain on your family resources. Regardless of the circumstances of their arrival, every baby is a gift. They didn't choose to be born into trying times, so we shouldn't fault them for it. Celebrate the life of the babies in your church and your home. Babies might not be easy, but they are always a gift.
Love Your Neighbors
Even though you might not know it, you probably are acquainted with someone who has either had an abortion or been impacted by abortion in some way. Sometimes all it takes for them to open up is for you to be available to listen. Abortion is not just about a baby; it's about a mother. To be pro-life we must also be pro-woman. We won't serve anyone if we simply talk of abortion in terms of the loss of life without also talking about the loss it brings to the mother.
Ordinary acts of faithfulness that maybe even a few people see matter in God's eyes.
One tangible way you can love your neighbors in your season is to know where the crisis pregnancy center is in your city. They are always in need of resources that moms need, and who better to know what a mom needs than a mom herself. Maybe you can pick up an extra pack of diapers when you are getting some for your own kids. Maybe you can volunteer a couple of times a year. Regardless of what you are able to do, knowing where it is located is a good step.
Often when we think about doing something for the pro-life cause we think in grandiose terms. If we can't be the one to abolish it then we aren't doing anything at all, we think. If we aren't counseling a woman out of an abortion or adopting her baby, we are aloof to the pro-life movement's efforts. But that is hardly the case. Ordinary acts of faithfulness that maybe even a few people see matter in God's eyes.
If your season is like mine, and you wonder what you can do, I hope you are encouraged to be faithful where you are at. But more important than any action I have listed here is the most mundane of all—prayer. If nothing else, pray, sisters. Pray that one day abortion will be as heinous to our country as slavery is. Pray that God would close the doors of Planned Parenthood but swing wide the doors of crisis pregnancy centers. Pray for the lives lost and the hearts changed by this evil practice. Pray, yes. But also love.
If you enjoyed this post, you may want to read "A Million and One Reasons I Am Horrified by the Planned Parenthood Video."
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