A baby born years ago is still celebrated today at Christmas. The gift of life from our Creator proved to be the greatest gift. This, along with so many other reasons, is why Christmas is my favorite time of year—a perfect time to celebrate the others around us. We spend hours looking for that special gift or crafting that special card to show just how much we truly appreciate those in our life.
As executive director at a local pregnancy help medical clinic, I could write for days about our partners who support us through baby shower items, prayers, time and money. I could spend every day for the next 50 or so visiting each individual church partner to offer our gratitude for their assistance in 2016. We could expand that 50-day ordeal to 1,000-plus if we attempted to visit with every one of our donors and volunteers from the past year.
Some have argued that 2016 tops the list of worst years, pointing to tragedies, elections and protests that have grabbed headlines. The 24-hour news cycle thrives on the negative, but I would wager that 2016 also gave us a glimpse into the love and sacrifice neighbors and strangers have for one another.
This is certainly our outlook in Knoxville, Tenn. We have seen an outpouring of support from individuals, churches, and businesses. Friends, neighbors, and strangers stepped in to offer support that allowed HOPE Resource Center to operate and complete our 19th year.
Because of the generosity of our community, we hosted over 50 baby showers to moms in need. Checks were written so that we could offer hundreds of ultrasounds to moms in our community—85 percent of whom chose life for their precious babies.
Tweet This: Many babies will see their first Christmas this year b/c of #prolife ctrs like @KnoxvilleHope
Prayers were prayed (and answered!) and many “HOPE” babies will get to see their first Christmas this year.
These are not arbitrary numbers that help push a false narrative. Instead, these numbers represent real lives our community has impacted through HOPE. Lives that otherwise wouldn’t have given a chance were granted love and care because our community stood together, partnering to make these stories and these numbers possible.
As you prepare to celebrate this Christmas season, I would ask that you reflect on the lives changed, impacted, and saved through local pregnancy help efforts like HOPE. Think about the showers thrown, the ultrasounds given and the choices made.
We do not operate in a bubble. We operate alongside each of our partners throughout the community. We serve these moms, dads, and babies with their help.
It was no accident that the greatest gift of all came in the form of a baby. As we find ourselves drifting off into a holiday respite over the next few days, give some thought to the lives we have touched and the families we have stood for together.
And as a new year comes along, let’s stir one another up to reach and rescue even more lives around us with a message of hope.
Andrew Wood is executive director of HOPE Resource Center, a life-affirming medical clinic in Knoxville, Tenn.
