“Where were all the Christian women?” These were the words that caught my attention and held my heart captive for days.
I sat across the table from my friend in a crowded coffee shop as she shared her testimony with me, spilling the details of pain and shame she has lived with since an abortion she had years ago.
She shared with me that years after her abortion, she was driving passed Planned Parenthood with her husband and she asked him, “Where were all the Christian women when I had my abortion? “ She often wondered this. Why didn’t she have anyone there to speak into her life?
Her husband pointed toward the picketers lining the front of the building and said, “There they are. “
My heart sank into my stomach when I realized how true this is.
It is no secret that we are living in divided times. Especially following the election, one thing we can all probably agree on is the fact that there is so much to disagree about. And we are all sure to make our voices heard.
We stand up for what is right, or what we think is right, but I believe we are missing the boat in the process. We have freedom of speech and the right to protest, but we are going about it all wrong.
My friend didn’t need someone standing up for what is right by holding a graphic sign and heaping mounds of guilt and shame on her. She needed someone to come alongside her. She needed a woman to talk to and empathize with her. What she needed was truth spoken in love and her options explained to her.
I believe God has a call for Christians for such a time as this. The call of course, does not involve compromising our beliefs for the way of the world.
He is, however, calling us out into the world, not turning our backs to it but facing it head on. He’s calling us to community. He’s calling us to turn off the social media where we spew our beliefs and connect with others face to face. He’s calling us into relationships where we earn the right to be heard.
He’s calling us to love.
I think our intentions are good. Don’t get me wrong. We want to do what is right and take our stand. But let’s not forget that love is the most important thing we stand for. I love the way it is stated in the Casting Crowns song, “Nobody knows what we are for, only what we’re against, when we judge the wounded.”
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal…If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” -1 Corinthians 13:1, 3
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Look at the life of Jesus. He was a friend of sinners who interacted daily with people he didn’t agree with. He didn’t compromise his beliefs or cave in any way. He met them in love. That’s where the difference was made.
So now, the choice is ours. Are we going to answer that call? Let’s choose to see past our differences and make a difference.
“Jesus, Friend of Sinners, open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers. Let our hearts be led by mercy. Help us reach with open hearts and open doors.”
-Casting Crowns, “Jesus, Friend of Sinners”
Click here to listen to the full song, “Jesus, Friend of Sinners” by Casting Crowns
