To the prolife Christian.

Dear Christian,

I’ve heard you from the pulpit.
I’ve read your posts on Instagram.
I’ve listened to your podcast.
I’ve seen you holding signs at busy intersections.

I applaud you for your bravery.
I respect your dedication.
And today, I stand with you.

I too, am pro-life.
I too believe, as my friend Heather Cofer said-
“that the value of a life is not dependent on whether it is wanted.
It is dependent on the objective truth that human life
was designed and given value by the creator of all
and only he has the right to define the terms.”
I too, want to see Roe v. Wade overturned.
I too, want to save the babies.

But today’s post isn’t written for those who are pro-choice.
Today’s post is for you-the prolife Christian.

In this age of polarizing politics and radical individualism, the urge to fight for our opinions and promote our beliefs, is so strong and so fierce, we don’t know when to stop. Leaving no room for discussion, for conversation, for grace, we hear someone shout, and we shout back.

And what happens when two people are shouting at each other?
They never stop to listen to what the other one has to say.

Dear Christian,
what does it mean to be pro-life?

Because from everything I’ve read from you and heard from you recently, being pro-life means being anti-death.

But standing against something, is very different
from standing for something.
Being pro-life is so much more than being anti-death.

Take a moment, and ask yourself-
“Am I truly pro-life?”

When I hear a baby crying during the sermon at church, do I roll my eyes? When I see a woman walking down the aisle in an airplane holding a fussy infant in her arms, do I pray under my breath that she’s not sitting next to me? Am I nervous to invite the disabled child who is the same age as my son to his birthday party? Am I excited to help out my friend who is becoming a foster parent, or just sad that we’ll no longer have as much time to spend together? Does it make me uncomfortable to help my aging parents in the restroom? Does it make me uncomfortable to volunteer at an anti-sex trafficking organization? When my town is putting on a 5k to raise awareness for suicide prevention, do I participate? When I find out a young woman is deciding to have her baby instead of going to college, do I support her? When my neighbor is battling cancer, do I offer to help with meals? Do I treat the girl who comes to my business with neon hair and tattoos on her arms differently than the girl who is dressed more conservatively?

The simplest definition of life is “the existence of an individual human being or animal.”

Does the mere existence of a gay person, a criminal, a crossdresser, or a person with tattoos and piercings make me uncomfortable?
Even sick?

If it does- can we really call ourselves pro-life?

Do we judge the leftists who are pro- choice?
Do we judge the mother who felt like she had no choice?

Would we sit and dine with these kinds of people, just as Jesus dined with sinners, cast out the demons of the possessed, saw past the disabilities of the blind and the sick and forgave his crucifiers- his murderers?

We say we’re pro -life- but are we?

Dear Christian,

This post isn’t meant to discourage you or condemn you.
We’ve done things right in our battle for life.
But we’ve also done things wrong.

We’ve wounded, when there’s already been so much injury.
We’ve cut off, when there’s been so much death.

Let’s not add to the mourning.
Let’s not add to the loss.
Lets not add to the weight that is on our Father’s heart.

We can still uphold the truth in kindness.
We can still stand steadfast in love.

We can look to Jesus, who did not cast a stone at the woman caught in adultery, but saved her, comforted her, and showed her mercy.

We can still advocate for the unborn-
but let us also advocate for those who are alive.
Let us protect the abused.
Let us stand with the broken.
Let us comfort the grieving.

Because so many grieve in secret, who are too scared to open up.
So many carry regret for years, that Jesus wants to take away.

Dear Christian,

Don’t silence your battle cry.

But when you’re storming the castle for the baby-

Don’t forget the mother too
And the transgender
And the elderly
And the sick
And the disabled.

When you say you are pro-life,
remember you stand for all who live-
and suffer
and struggle
in a world so dark and broken.

They need us too, Christian.
They need the light we bear.