Last night I was helping Ricci study and I was incredibly distracted by a conversation going on nearby. A girl wearing a BTHO McCain (don't even get me started on the whole BTHO thing) was talking to another girl about why she was voting for Obama. She was telling this girl (in a very condescending, "you're a moron for not already knowing this" way) about how McCain is taking away womens' rights. She said something to the effect of "You don't care that he's against a woman's right to choose? McCain is for taking away a woman's rights concerning her own body." etc, etc.
Immediately my extreme loathing for abortion flared up. I had gone from accidental overhearer to "I'm about to punch this girl in the face" in about a second.
If you go to my church or have been around me much you know how much I love kids. I love Mother Theresa's quote about how it is a poverty that a child must die for you to live how you want, and one of my very favorite verses is James 1:27. That's not so you think I'm a super-Christian, but so that you understand my heart for kids.
I wanted to get up and walk over and say, "Do you actually believe this garbage you are spewing? You think McCain is trying to take away your rights? What about that child's right to live?! Your mom chose life for you, doesn't that mean anything?! And anyway, when did it become a "right" to kill? When you were inconvenienced by another human being? If that's the case, why don't we have a "man's right" to do the same thing, because he might be inconvenienced by child support for a kid he didn't want?"*
But God is good and he restrained me. I did not get up and say those things. Those things (especially in the tone of voice I would have used) would not have changed her mind. They would not have been productive. And most importantly they were coming from the wrong attitude. Every life IS precious and a miraculous gift from God. We should never allow people who think it is okay to end a child's life to come into power. HOWEVER, we must also understand that the people that think it is okay are lost. It doesn't justify what they have done, but they cannot be expected to hold to the same standards and values that we have as a result of Christ in our lives.
In short, we need to pray for these people, that God would show them the value of human life. Let's push for repealing Roe v. Wade by all means! It's an idiotic ruling, even by standards of how our government should work. But while we are pressing for change, we must do it without an attitude of hatred for its opponents. As much as we love the children we are trying to protect, God also calls us to love those that are blindly supporting the "freedom" to abort a child's life.
This is an area that I (obviously) struggle in greatly. It is so hard for me to love the people that say it is okay to kill a baby. But Christ did it. He loves murderers and rapists. I've seen interviews with family members of somebody who died, where they tell the murderer they forgive them and I just don't know if I could do it.
Actually I know that I could not do it. But if I was willing Christ could bring it about in me. Sorry this post has no profound words of encouragement in this area, but like I said it's something I really struggle giving God the control in. Maybe I don't want to love them because I don't think they deserve it. But...then again neither did I... ;)
Encouraging words or verses that you have found helpful would be greatly appreciated.
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*I would NEVER think this idea was okay. I simply meant that a woman has no more right than a man to take a life for the sake of having a more comfortable life.
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