On Saturday night, I had reached the depths of discouragement. It didn’t help that I had spent the day baking in the sun at my niece’s softball tournament followed by a long drive home, but what I saw on social media made me struggle to stay out of despair.
The first blows came in one announcement after another about how corporations are willing to stretch the definition of “benefit” beyond recognition by paying for employees to travel from state to state to obtain abortions. Then came posts from friends that started out with “I’m pro-life, but…” but followed up with statements that no pro-life person would utter. It didn’t take long for me to wonder, “What’s the use in fighting for life when everything is stacked against us?”
Then a couple of scriptures came to mind. The Apostle John wrote in a letter to one of the early churches, “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.” That verse echoes some of the words Jesus gave to His disciples just hours before He went to the cross: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
Then on Sunday morning at church, the pastor began preaching a series on the Psalms. The text of the sermon came from Psalm 37:
Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
I don’t think you necessarily have to be a Christian or believe in scripture to identify with these sentiments. When we stand up for life, we’re doing the right thing. And that’s going to bring the wrath of those who don’t like it when we do good.
Related: ‘They Don’t Know Pro-Life People Well’: the Bravery of Pregnancy Centers Facing Threats
David Cameron, the former UK prime minister, once said, “You have to focus on what needs to be done, do the right thing, not the popular thing.” Even though we have some reason to believe that the Dobbs decision has more support than polls are letting on, the decision definitely isn’t popular with the “cool kids” in our modern society.
We know that the ones who have spoken out against it are the loudest screeching voices. That often means that we’re stuck listening to the rants of celebrities, “influencers,” and corporations who have artificially amplified voices in the media.
When we feel that wrath or have to listen to endless complaints from the left, it can be easy to let it wear us down, but we can’t give up.
Dismantling Roe was just the first step, and we still have tons of work to do. We have to continue supporting and helping these young moms (and dads) who have chosen life. It’s time to build a culture that values fostering and adoption. We need to make sure that we value those with special needs and cherish and take care of our seniors as they near the end of their lives.
Over 30 years ago, the band King’s X released a song with the line, “The fight for life is always real.” We have to keep going even when we get discouraged. The world is going to hate us, but we can’t let them get us down. Fight the good fight. Stand up for life.
Don’t forget that you’re not alone. There are plenty of others allied with you in the fight for life. You can join some of us in this fight by becoming a PJ Media VIP member.
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