Pro-Life Not Your Enemy

By Leah Johnson

Mitchell County

“I’m pro-choice, and I’m not your enemy.” That was part of a conversation I recently had. This phrase and interaction have been rolling around in my head and heart ever since. Quite frankly, it has challenged me and made me want to examine my own heart and attitudes. I thanked the person for coming up to me and engaging in conversation. I didn’t try to change their mind, and they didn’t try to change mine. You know what we did? We talked about the parts we did agree on, and we hugged each other. The thing is, when you are looking at a person eyeball to eyeball, it can be very hard to paint them as your opponent. Being pro-life includes loving all life; even the lives of those we disagree with.

Somehow we have concluded that being kind to someone….even hanging out with them, means we agree with them or we are compromising what we believe. My absolute favorite quote keeps coming to mind; “Never sacrifice being kind on the altar of being right.”

Most of us would say we don’t count average, everyday people who happen to be pro-choice as our “enemy”. If we take a really honest look at our conversations, thoughts, and social media though, “enemy” would be pretty accurate. I think, somehow, we have bought into the idea that because abortion is so horrific, and leaves a wake of devastation and loss in its path, it gives us the right to oppose people connected to it by any means necessary. It means a lot of times, we punch with our words, and we punch HARD. The problem is, sometimes the punches land straight on the noses of other human beings. Standing up for what we believe in, and calling sin out, is righteous. Things tend to go sideways when we see another person we disagree with and use it as an excuse to attack their character and them as a person. We start demonizing them instead of the sin. Our country is so divided. We are falling deeper and deeper into an us vs. them mentality, and something needs to happen to turn the tide.

Y’all know what we stand for here at the Center. We are 110% pro-life, and live it out to the best of our ability every day. We are all about standing up for what is right and speaking truth. Abortion is wrong. When you really start looking at it hard, you realize the whole scheme is straight from the pit of hell. We want to see it eradicated in our lifetime. In the midst of what we do, we wind up rubbing shoulders with a lot of people who don’t look like, talk like, act like, think like us. It’s made us aware of our own preconceived notions and pride in our lives. It’s been refining, and in a lot of ways, it’s pushed us closer to Jesus.

There are a lot of things going crazy right now in our world, and I think these principles can apply to a wide variety of issues, but specifically when it comes to being pro-life: speak up for what is right, vote Biblically, put your time and money where your mouth is. Absolutely, do all these things! Maybe we also need to consider purposefully seeking out those who don’t think the same as we do. Meet up for coffee, and share a meal. Talk about the things you can agree on. Pray like crazy, and build a relationship. Who are the people with the greatest influence in your life? I’d wager they are the ones who show you the greatest love and understanding, not the ones who yell at you and attack you. What could it look like if we took the posture of knowing where we stand, and being bold enough to say to those believing differently, “I am pro-life, and I am not your enemy’?

M.Y. Life Center (Formerly Tri-County Pregnancy Center)  is located in Burnsville at 112 Mercy Street. We offer compassionate support and love to anyone facing an unexpected pregnancy or wishing to prepare for childbirth and/or improve their parenting skills through the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ.  To contact us or learn more about our services, visit www.mylifefamilycenter.com.

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Leah Johnson is a wife and mom of two. She is the Executive Director at M.Y. Life Center and volunteer Advocate for Mitchell/Yancey Forgotten Initiative

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