The other day, my lovely wife stood at my office door, laughing. She did not want to interrupt (hopefully I was not on Facebook at the time), but had something to show me; a YouTube video from a British mother, Sarah Bromby. It’s a peek at her 5-year-old son’s reaction to finding out he will soon become a big brother.
And it is hilarious.
“Is it really? Is it in your belly?” he asks, giggling. She assures him that yes, he will soon be a big brother and he yells out the window of the car—in his British accent—“I’m going to be a little big brotha!”
After getting assurances his mother is not joking, the boy turns serious. “He can sleep in my bed,” he says with a straight face. Then, quietly, “If he wants to.”
I laughed. We showed it to our boys and to my mother who lives with us. We all laughed. A lot.
But I shared this on my Facebook wall to make a point: We love to celebrate new life. We laugh, we tear up with emotion, we look to the possibilities of what a new life offers. It’s who we are as people.
And this celebration is not limited to those with a pro-life perspective.
Consider the ardent pro-choice zealot. When she wants to become pregnant and finds she is (yes, the caveat is “wants” but still, there is a point here), her response is not, “It’s just a zygote, nothing to get excited about.” Instead, we see elation. She shares with her friends, she buys baby clothes. She celebrates.
Tweet This: "We celebrate new life. It's who we are as people. #prolife @KirkWalden
I’m old enough to remember the Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation commercials of the early 90's which carried the tagline, “Life. What a Beautiful Choice.” They were powerful because they turned a contentious issue into something good.
I’ll never forget how networks sought to diminish and devalue these ads. The Weather Channel even ran a disclaimer to tell us, “The following paid advertisement does not necessarily reflect the views of The Weather Channel.” Really? Those who wish to inform us of bad weather so we can be safe and protect our very lives want to tell us, “We’re not so sure if life is a good choice”?
In life-affirming news today, there is much to digest regarding Planned Parenthood. We read about the horrors inside its clinics, we hear its representatives talk of selling body parts, we find out they perform no prenatal care to speak of. In essence, this organization does virtually nothing to celebrate life.
We should expose this. And yes, we must urge our legislators to stop sending the abortion giant any more tax dollars.
But . . .
We must never lose sight of the fact we are here to celebrate life. If we wish to shift a culture toward life (and we are well on this path), let’s show this culture the joy and beauty of life again and again.
Let’s show them little boys, thrilled to become big brothers. Let’s show them the video of a 20-week child through advanced ultrasound technology and amplify the wonders of life in the womb. Let’s tell the stories of those who faced an unplanned pregnancy and chose to be overcomers by faith in God and assistance from pregnancy help ministries.
My modest proposal? Every pregnancy help center and every life-affirming advocate should adopt a simple principle: 80 percent of my communication will focus on celebrating life.
We cannot overlook—by any stretch—the horrors committed by those who oppose life and profit by ending human life.
But if we are to win over the mushy middle out there who do not know what to think on this issue, they will most likely be won by our focus on the joy and potential in every human life.
In biblical terms, Jesus had to deal with Pharisees and religious leaders. He could not ignore the damage they were inflicting on those they presided over. While this conflict was inevitable, most of what we read about Jesus focuses on his teachings, his interactions with the hurting, and his emphasis on the kingdom of God. This is where Jesus spent most of his time.
Tweet This: At least 80% of our #prolife messaging should focus on celebrating life. @KirkWalden
For us, there will be conflict, too. But in the end, our focus is on a simple concept anyone—when given the evidence—can grasp: Life. What a beautiful choice.
Kirk Walden is a senior writer with Pregnancy Help News, an Advancement Specialist with Heartbeat International and author of The Wall. He also blogs at www.KirkWalden.com. For banquet speaking engagements,
