Since the leak of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s initial draft majority opinion which would overturn Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson case, media coverage has been focused on pro-abortion advocates’ reactions. Given the volatile nature of those reactions it is easy to understand the focus.
While pro-life advocates gratefully and prayerfully await the final outcome, the depth of emotion is palpable. For almost five decades the response to Roe v. Wade from the pro-life community has been continually marked by compassionate outreach to those most affected, and most of all by prayer.
Those who identify as pro-life have invested our hearts in this battle. This reality became even more apparent to me on Mother’s Day.
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My oldest son Kellen is a doctor. When he took his Hippocratic Oath at medical school, he was so excited to tell me they recited the version of the oath which includes the protection of the unborn. So, it should not have surprised me that he would demonstrate a depth of perception into how the leaked Alito opinion would affect me.
Kellen’s Mother’s Day gift to me was a picture frame that came with a note explaining its significance. It reads in part:
“I have attached a pdf of the leaked majority opinion from the Supreme Court to put next to where you write your articles, if you choose to do so. Not sure how much this means to you, but from my perspective it might mean a lot. I knew what Roe v. Wade was before I knew what cursive writing was. Other than praying for us, I remember nothing that you prayed for more than Roe v. Wade to be overturned. From my perspective, whether this is registering or not, this is God rewarding your decades of prayer and faithful service toward the unborn. The version of you from the 90s would weep with joy hearing that you would live to see this upheaval. So, just giving you the option to place this in your workspace as a reminder that we serve a God who hears His people and fights for the oppressed.”
My son hit the target—hit it directly! I wept and gave thanks to God! Of course, this document now hangs over my desk.
This was an astute analysis of my heart, as well as that of a majority of my brothers and sisters in Christ who have worked and prayed with diligence all these years.
Tweet This: God rewarding your decades of prayer and faithful service toward the unborn.
However, this is just one side of the pro-life focus. If pro-abortion groups, the media, and the general public are not perceiving, don’t care to perceive or perhaps are entirely demonizing our thoughts and our motives, allow me to paint a clear picture here.
Just as pro-abortion groups appear to be doubling down on their bitter rhetoric and actions, so pro-life groups are doubling down on intentional loving pregnancy help and prayer.
This passion for life goes well beyond seeing babies spared from pain and death. It even goes beyond our adamant desire to help women and men avoid the despair of living with the decision to abort their child.
Both of these concerns run deep, but deeper still is our concern for the lost. We know Jesus cradles the millions of aborted children and their eternity is secured. We have mourned and will continue to mourn their loss, but not as those who are without hope would mourn.
We also know as long as the post-abortive woman has breath, she can receive healing and the pregnancy help community consistently sees victories in this work.
The woman and others who were part of her decision, were deceived into thinking abortion was a solution. As time passes, the reality is it can be a wound that never heals—at least not until the wound is addressed.
So, this work will not cease. Still, an additional battle is taking place that is laden with a burden which is perplexing, if not entirely discouraging. The divide over Roe v. Wade has become an immense rift which threatens the structure of our country.
As with most contentious conflicts, opposing sides reach a point of disparagement toward the other. From news coverage over the past couple of weeks, it would appear pro-abortion proponents have reached full saturation in the denigration of its opposition.
In this environment, only prayerful and biblically principled tactics will keep pro-life supporters from being drawn into the hostilities. It starts by applying a spiritual separation principle. This is the understanding that sin and demonic activity are separate entities from a person, and they act to deceive and control them.
Jesus instructed us to pray for our enemies. By understanding the separation principle, you can whole heartedly be gracious and extend compassion to your enemy as Jesus instructs. Otherwise, you will be tempted to just go through the motions and not actually be authentic in your prayers and actions.
God originated this teaching in addressing Cain in Genesis 4. God warned Cain that sin is crouching at his door and it desired to have him, but Cain needed to master it. See here that sin is the threat to Cain and if he does not overcome it, the result would be, and indeed was, the murderous act of Cain upon his brother Abel.
If you see the screams, protests, accusations, and demands of pro-abortion backers as the words and actions of a deceived and oppressed individual, it becomes possible to extend grace and love in all sincerity. This is what our society has not understood about the heart of Christian pro-life protagonists.
Our obligation to our Lord is obedience. When we obey, He takes on the responsibility for the results. So, my brothers and sisters, remain diligent. Stay strong in your stance and in the power of the love and grace our Lord has given to us which is beyond human understanding.
Darkness hates the light, and few issues illustrate this better than the vehement lashing out of the abortion ideologues. If you struggle to extend love and grace in the face of this onslaught, focus on Jesus, who was able to declare while hanging on a Roman cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
