The Pregnancy Help Community is now 2700+ locations strong. The abortion rate continues dropping. Overall, our client numbers and budgets are rising.
Those who oppose us run to like-minded media, placing false stories about our work. And, they rush to state legislatures, trying to censor us. Why? Because they know our impact threatens them. This is good news.
If we can’t see our momentum, we’re missing the big picture. No, we haven’t arrived. But we see the lights of the shore, and we’re pressing in closer every day.
So, what’s left for us to do? Is there a next “big thing” which will bring us to our destination, making abortion unthinkable?
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Perhaps so. I’m sure all of us have ideas on this.
But, as we search for what’s next, three salient truths come to mind. “Musts,” if you will. If we are to continue our success and grow our influence, we’ve got to have these three. Here we go:
First, Faith
Science is on our side. When Jen Gunter tells us a baby in the womb is not a baby (warning, her Tweet referenced in the linked article uses vulgar language), science and simple medical common sense (and a grasp of language and definitions) tells us that while she has “Dr.” in front of her name, this is not even a debatable argument.
Yet, though we have truth on our side, we’re still reminded, what we do involves faith. We’re people of faith, believing in things we cannot readily see. And those we serve—even when confronted with the truth of their babies—need faith to make it through their challenging circumstances.
Sadly, our society no longer listens when we say, “The Bible says.” It may again in the future, but not today.
Our job? To encourage and support those we see. We must use our faith to impart hope where hope doesn’t exist. If we don’t bring stories of faith to our conversations with the women and men counting on us, where else will they find the faith they so desperately need?
Next, Hope
If we’re to impart hope, we’ve got to have a dose of hope, too. And in our organizations, hope creates vision. We’ve got to leave thoughts of “we’re just a ministry,” or, “we just don’t have the support for that” behind.
We’ve got to trust that if God gives us an idea of what we can do, we need to give that idea the attention it deserves, even if we can’t readily see the funding or support to make it happen.
If our vision remains strong, we never get into ruts or a “Well, I wish we could but we’ll never . . .” mentality.
Those who lose vision say things like, “We’ve never done it that way before.” Let’s not go there.
Let’s gather around conference tables and dream of what could be when we see God show up. Then, let’s look for opportunities to tell others of the vision He gives.
An organization with hope—and vision—sees the future with a smile. Let’s be those people.
Yes, Love
You knew this was coming, right? Me too. Love is the foundation, and easy stuff. Let’s love those who need us, serving them with compassion, without judgment, pointing them to the One who created them.
Ummm, but I’m also talking about a different love. The kind where we love each other. Not to go all “Bible verse” on us, but Jesus (as John points out in his narrative) was adamant, teaching us that the way those we serve will know about our faith is not through our knowledge, our understanding of truth, or our ability to convey great thoughts.
Nope, they’ll connect with our Christian faith when they see us love each other.
Working with Heartbeat International, I get to see this lived out, first-hand. I can’t recall one time when I heard one of my coworkers talk negatively about another. I’m sure it’s happened—we’re all human. But I’ve not run into that situation. Not once.
Here, birthdays are remembered. We pray for each other when we’re hurting. And when someone is struggling—which happens to all of us at times--that person is surrounded with care and concern.
It’s rare, but after visiting at least 500 (maybe 600 or more?) pregnancy help locations over the last 28 years, I’ve run into those few times when I can sense a tense situation, where one staff member is at odds with another. I’ve also seen Facebook and Twitter “rants” between two (or more) Christians, sending the sad message that we’re just like everyone else.
When conflicts take place—and they inevitably will—we must ask, “What does love look like in this situation? How can I do all I can to resolve this in a way that glorifies God?”
If we choose love in any situation, and if we love each other, those we serve will take notice. They’ll see us compliment each other, support each other, depend on each other. When they do, they’ll want to know more about the why of who we are and what we do.
Tweet This: If we choose love in any situation, and if we love each other, those we serve will take notice
Three Musts
These are the three. Not new ideas. In fact, first century stuff—hardly “cutting edge.”
Sometimes though, we’ve got to look back before we can create a better future. As we look ahead to the next step in pregnancy help ministry, let’s remember our foundation, making sure these cornerstone ideas remain the heart of all we do.
