Mondays are my favorite day of the week. I know this is strange, but I cannot wait to get out to the sidewalks of the abortion center, and see what amazing things God will do. Something always happens that fills my soul with awe. I am always humbled, and always learn something new about truth, mercy, and grace.
This Monday, a woman was listening to all of us counselors, as we spoke through our megaphones and begged her to come talk with us. At first she laughed at us, which often happens. Then she seemed angry, which also often happens. Finally, she came walking over to me. She was either going to pummel me or give me a piece of her mind.
I introduced myself and asked if the abortion was for her or for a friend. She said she was not there for an abortion. I asked if she was there for a check up. No. Was her friend there for an abortion or a check up? No. When I pointed out that was all they did there, she dropped the subject.
She was furious with us for "judging others." We hear that a lot. I asked her to explain what we had said that was not true or judgmental language. She could not, but she didn't like the fact that we would try to tell others what to do, when it was their choice. She was not concerned that the baby had no choice.
She agreed the baby was human, though later said she had not really agreed to that. She decided it was human at the point it had a heart beat. When I pointed out that the heartbeat began at 17 days, long before most women even know they are pregnant, she didn't argue anymore about the baby's humanity.
She agreed that the taking of human life was wrong. She agreed that some things that are legal are not moral. In the end, we had a really nice discussion, and I gave her my name and phone number. I urged her to call me to continue our discussion.
A few minutes later, a car drove out of the lot. The driver smiled, and the woman pointed to the sign we had leaned against a tree. It had a picture of a baby, with the words, "Saved from abortion." It certainly appeared the couple had decided to save their baby, based on their body language.
"That's the woman you were talking to!" one of the counselors said. They had pulled away so quickly, I could not say for certain it was her. But if it was, she had not been in the building long enough to have had an abortion.
You just never know when even the angriest person might be in the throes of God's convicting power. Speak the truth with as much love as you can, and then trust that God is working in that person's heart. Nowhere do I experience the fruit of that more than on the sidewalks of one of the saddest places on earth.
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Amen
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