“Words that do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness” ~ Mother Teresa

People want an immediate reaction…an instant response on demand. This is the world we now live in. Sure, I, like most people had an immediate reaction to yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling. However, I’m still a processor. I need time with my thoughts so that I can bring them to God, to seek His thoughts. This morning I awoke praising God that somewhere in this country lives that He is knitting together in their mother’s womb will live on. But I also pray for the heart that is scared, afraid, or even mad…they are not my enemy, they simply have a different worldview. Both sides paint the evil extremes of the other to push forward the agenda of our age…division. We have been conditioned to believe that disagreement means harm; if I disagree with you I want to harm you. I try to step out of this narrative that our modern age perpetuates to see all sides of a situation.

Transparency has always been part of this blog, this topic will not change that. I saw a post yesterday that someone was fearful of the ways people trying to save their soul would cause them more harm. As I read that my heart wept but those words gave me a much clearer picture of how many people perceive Christ followers. However, I wonder how many people, on either side, have had genuine conversations with people who think differently? Do we even truly know what the other side of our opinions think or believe? Or are we simply allowing news outlets and politicians create narratives that we have accepted as truth?

For instance, as a woman I am far more concerned with other behaviors I see tolerated in this country that are very oppressive to women. I wonder where the outrage was for our girls that are being diminished in sports. I wonder where the outrage was for body autonomy when our daughters who had genuine concerns about a new vaccine and how it would effect their reproductive abilities were mandated to be vaccinated. Then lost their jobs when they wouldn’t. Why do we never talk about the motives behind the inception of Planned Parenthood? Why is it more comfortable to highlight abortion in the context of sexual violence while minimizing its use as a method of birth control? We cry out for human rights but what about the unborn, the most vulnerable among us?These are questions that swirl in my head. Why do we have to scream and yell our opinions at each other but never actually take the time to listen to each other? Why do we always take the easy way out rather than do the hard thing…talk to each other? Why do I have to hate you because I disagree with you? I don’t and I won’t!!!

Today, I unashamedly praise God, the author and giver of life. Yesterday was a victory for the millions and millions of lives that have been lost over the last 50 years. But I also seek the face of God, to know how He desires His people to respond…to step into the gap and care for those that will be impacted most by yesterday’s court decision. I also pray for the people who see my beliefs as harmful. I recognize that there is another side. This blog began as a social media post…a platform that more often than not inflames a situation. Rarely is it ever a source of healing or even productive dialogue. It is why I tread those waters infrequently. However, this morning my heart was heavy. Heavy for the weight of responsibility, the work has just begun. Heavy for the dividing gulf that was expanded ten-fold yesterday in this country. Yet, in the heaviness I am reminded that I know the true source of healing. So I bring it all to Him. I have experienced the power of prayer, so this morning my prayers remain what they have been for quite some time…for the Light of Christ to shine in the overwhelming darkness of this world and healing for the brokenness that is so evident all around us. I pray for those I love, those who think like me and those who do not…that remains and will remain unchanged.

Today, instead of being quick to anger or to gloat…maybe we could all be slow to speak and quick to listen. We might learn something we didn’t know. We might see a perspective that we hadn’t before. It may not change our minds but it might just soften our hearts and open us up to greater kindness and compassion.