Dear Pro-Life Christian Brothers and Sisters,
I feel your palpable energy and pent-up hope and prayers that are on the cusp of being answered in the probable overturn of Roe v. Wade. In your rejoicing and praising Jesus, don’t forget to be Jesus to those who see this as a devastating defeat. They need our love and compassion, not our judgment. They need our prayers and empathy, not our posts on social media. Let us not forget that every unborn baby, every single scared pregnant mother, every single pro-choice advocate, and every pro-life advocate are all made in the image of God. It is right and good that we speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, but we cannot advocate for the unborn without advocating for their mothers and fathers and the families they represent.
The people who want an abortion are not the enemy; they are looking for a solution to a situation they view as desperate. The woman who wants an abortion is not premeditating murder on her baby. She is scared, misinformed, and pressured. A sign in our front yard saying abortion kills babies and picketing the streets with baby killer signs will not inform these people in their moment of panic and desperation. Being one in a crowd will not make as much of a difference for the unborn as being one who reaches out to them. We have to be willing to do more than march. Words and signs cannot go as far as a person with a helping hand and a loving heart.
Please consider being the solution or helping these people find a solution. They need a neighbor, a friend, or a stranger to kindly say, “I know a place that can help you figure this out. I will take you there and help you walk through this.” Pregnancy Resource Centers around the country are places where these women can find true help in their time of need. I would urge you to replace your time protesting in the streets with time you volunteered at your local Pregnancy Resource Center. The slogan these days is “Be the Change!” We can borrow that slogan for our own pro-life efforts. We cannot afford to keep talking about change; we’ve got to be part of making that change happen in a way that shows we love Jesus, the unborn, the mamas, and the daddies. If you cannot physically be present at the Pregnancy Resource Center, please consider giving money, donating items on their wish list, and praying for the volunteers and the clients who come in unsure of what to do. Please also invest in ministries on the frontlines confronting the culture in compassionate and loving ways, like Justice For All.
If you engage in a conversation or conversations on this topic, which is inevitable in our current situation, please use your words with caution, listen more than you speak, ask questions, and show empathy. Pro-lifers often get so caught up in saving the unborn that we forget about the person we are looking at. A pro-choice person is not evil, nor do they want anything different from what we want. The pro-choice person sees abortion as offering an option that would be helpful. However twisted, selfish, and sinful that choice is, the person who believes in it is a person, a human being like you. It would be hard to find a person who wants to kill a baby. The problem is they are misinformed and truly believe the lie that the baby in a mother’s womb is just tissue, it can’t feel pain, and it’s not a baby. Pro-choice people see themselves as compassionate and pro-life people as the haters. Their focus is the woman, and our focus is the baby. We’ve got to focus on both. Both the mother and the baby are valuable and loved by God; however, that baby came into existence.
We stand on the brink of yet another crisis in our world with the potential for more violence and division. This is our moment, don’t let it pass. God is yet again gifting His children with a situation the world is going to capitalize on for their own interests. He is giving us another chance to show His love and compassion for the hurting and lost around us. Honestly, the hurting person may be just down the pew from you as well as across the street. We’ve got to be soaking up God’s truths from His Word and then putting them into practice everywhere we go. The world is currently obsessed (in words only) with kindness and acceptance. Let’s practice what Jesus preached about reaching out in a compassionate and empathetic way. Let’s show the world that pro-life means we care about all lives, born and unborn alike.
Much Love,
A fellow Pro-Life Christian Sister
Melissa Holmquist is a Pastor’s wife and mother of four in St Johns, MI.
