No doubt, we are in a time of turmoil. We face racial division, anger, strife, social media barrages, explosive arguments and more.
My unscientific take on all that is happening however, is that most of us simply want solutions. A guess? Five percent of our society wants open conflict, ready to tear down all institutions and usher in a new world. On the other side is a five percent of society which refuses to acknowledge issues still needing to be addressed if we are to truly tackle the race question.
Of course, this 10 percent—five percent on either side of the spectrum--garners 98% of media attention.
It shouldn’t be this way, because other than the 10 percent who decided to go into their corners and come out fighting, 90% of us want resolution and peace. We want to listen to each other, to find areas of agreement and ways to come together.
Will we agree on everything? No. But, if we assume the best of another person, if we reach across cultural divides and try to understand why someone has certain perceptions, we can find solutions.
And guess what? Surprisingly, for those of us in the 90%, the pregnancy help community is perhaps one of the best places for these conversations to begin.
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Why? Four reasons:
1-The church is an agent for change. We are the church
As we all know, the church is not designated by buildings, but is made up of its people who are committed to following Jesus and His teachings. Jesus taught us how racial reconciliation works, so we—the church—can model this for the world.
We—the pregnancy help community—are the church. We do church stuff like serving the needy, helping those facing challenges, protecting our most vulnerable. But there’s more . . .
2-We represent the totality of the church
Our pregnancy help ministries—with few exceptions—cross multiple theological lines. We are Protestant. We are Catholic. We are Evangelical. We are Charismatic. I probably missed a few there but you get the point.
Pregnancy help ministries understand we are better together. And while we have differing views on a variety of faith topics, we lay them aside for the greater good of representing the One we follow in a mighty endeavor to protect the lives of moms and children from those who prey on them for a profit.
The pregnancy help community is one where Christians of all stripes laugh together, pray together, serve together. At times, we even cry together. We’re not perfect, but we do a good job of sticking together, despite any differences we may have. Which means . . .
3-We can bring disparate groups together
If we can connect Christians of all flavors, it’s not a big stretch to think we can bring together those of differing colors and backgrounds.
Fun fact: Out of more than 700 banquets where I have spoken, the most de-segregated event I’ve seen was for Safe Harbor Women’s Clinic. You know where Safe Harbor is located? Selma, Alabama—a cradle of the civil rights movement. Whether black, white or Hispanic, supporters sat together, chatting with me about how they work together in and outside of the ministry—without regard to skin tone.
If this can happen in Selma, why not anywhere else? We have a mission anyone who claims Christianity can support. We can use this moment in history to say, “Let’s pull together in quiet conversations and show this messed-up world what Christianity looks like.”
And finally . . .
4-We know crises
Our entire mission is about serving people nearing an emotional breaking point. It’s what we do. Let’s use our expertise to pull together our staff, volunteers, board members and supporting churches, finding ways to make our ministries a shining light to those around us who desperately seek solutions during this time of tension.
If we begin conversations among ourselves, we can forge a path forward. Though in the big scheme of things the pregnancy help community may seem “small,” it is often in the small where big results emerge.
Our work crosses racial, political and cultural lines. Those who call upon us don’t ask for our voting preference, our denomination or our color. They simply want someone to listen, and help. We serve without regard to all those labels which so easily divide.
So, as this country tries to navigate perilous waters which threaten to engulf us all, the citizens cry out for solution bearers. It’s not likely solutions will come from our politicians or leaders of different special interest groups, but from persons or groups who can be calm and quiet enough to hear the whispers of solutions in the chaotic noise of anger and strife.
Needing, and finding, Jesus
During this time, many will cry out, “We need Jesus!”
But we must understand, we are Jesus to this world.
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Let’s use this opportunity to be the Jesus we were meant to be, reflecting the Jesus of compassion, wisdom, kindness and grace. Let’s serve as solution bearers in our own ministries, creating a ripple which flows through the churches with which we partner and throughout the communities we serve.
We can do this. We really can. Let’s get to work. The timing is perfect for a new awakening—and there is every reason in the world to think it can begin with us.
