Have you ever prayed outside of an abortion clinic and encountered hostile stares, rude words and negative reactions?
Or have you ever prayed outside of a clinic for weeks at a time and all that happened was... nothing? No babies were saved, no pregnant women changed their minds and no clinic workers suddenly converted? Were you left wondering why your prayers didn't seem to have any visible answer?
Have you ever just felt discouraged about your work as a pro-lifer?
I know I have. Praying outside of abortion clinics can be scary and hard (I've chronicled a little bit about my struggles with it on my personal blog). It takes a much thicker skin than I've got. Not to mention that in all my years of praying, I've never once seen a woman change her mind about going in (admittedly I don't have that much experience).
If you're starting to feel as though your pro-life witness isn't doing much to help, here are a few little tips to keep you going.
1. Women need your witness. I just read an article about a young woman who didn't want to have an abortion and was secretly hoping that pro-lifers would stop her from entering the clinic. That article made me kick myself for every time I've skipped out on praying outside a clinic (and it inspired me to write this blog post). The truth is that every time we stand out there to witness against the outrage that is abortion - and more importantly, to stand up for the beauty and dignity of human life - something good will come of it, even if we can't see the results directly. I hope you read that article and get inspired too!
2. Men need your witness. When I prayed outside a clinic with some girl friends a few months back, several men stopped to thank us for being there. It can be even harder for men to speak out against abortion than for women, but men are often as deeply wounded by abortion as women are. They need our witness and prayers as much as women do.
3. Prayer transcends time and space. Just because you can't see the effects of your praying doesn't mean there aren't effects. God can take those prayers and apply them to a woman hundreds of miles away who needs that extra bit of help, or transfer them to next month, or to yesterday. The economy of grace is an amazing thing and totally beyond our comprehension. The one thing we do know is that prayer works.
I would love to hear any other tips you ladies have. What kind of work do you do for the pro-life cause? How do you motivate yourself to keep going when you get discouraged? Have you ever been there when a pregnant woman changed her mind about having an abortion?
I would say remember that you can always inspire people to pray for you or with you by being out there. I've prayed outside the abortion clinic on my school's campus almost every week for two years, and for every time someone has cursed at us, someone has said they'll pray for us or they've stopped to pray with us. Just being there can make a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteAh! Tess! I LOVE this post! And so timely! I just recently put in an application to volunteer at our local crisis pregnancy center as a nurse for them. I'm realizing how huge the need is for the pro-life cause in our nation, esp. with the recent health care mandate. We NEED to speak up and show by our actions how we value life, every life--the mother, the preborn, the elderly, the disabled.
ReplyDeleteI think one thing that can be encouraging is remembering that God uses everything-- you made a great point about prayer trascending time and place. God will use anything we give Him for the pro-life cause, whether it be washing dishes and chores at home offered up or counseling a women at an abortion clinic.
I think that is really brave and courageous. I have done a presentation on abortion in college when we had to take up a social issue. Female foeticide is common in my country and the sex- ratio is low; 914 females per thousand males which clearly shows the pathetic use of such clinics. Determining the sex of the child is an offense so such clinics function in secrecy, surprisingly known mostly to doctors of well- known hospitals.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post Tess! I am so grateful for your witness. I personally, have been praying at an abortion clinic when a woman chose to keep her baby, but I didn't actually see it happen. I was only praying and not actually trying to "counsel" the woman to keep her baby, as some of my friends were priveledged to be doing. I post this as an encouragement to you because even though I was there, I did not see the woman change her mind. I do not credit myself for being there but give all the credit to the Lord, who changes hearts through grace!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate people who do this and I would be very happy to be like one of them. The problem is that here in Philippines, abortion clinics are hidden somewhere in the slums so it's very hard to reach out to those women.But still I would find a way so I can help women who are deciding to abort their babies have a change of heart and encourage girls my age to do the same thing. Thank you very much for this article, Tess.
ReplyDeleteI have also felt very discouraged when spending time in prayer outside of abortion clinics when all of the women still go inside for their appointments. (as well as enduring the hostile comments and curse words from people in cars as they drive by) However, recently I heard many reports that opened my mind and heart to the other ways that God may be using my prayers and presence at the abortion clinic. I have read many stories of abortion workers, including abortion clinic directors, who have left their jobs in the abortion industry directly as a result of the public witness of the people praying outside of the clinics day after day, week after week. Most of these workers said that they were led to this decision from the witness of those outside, whether that be direct counseling or simply their presence and dedication to 'showing up' to pray at the clinic and not give up. I have now included all of the abortion workers in my prayers each day. After all...if all of the abortion Doctors, nurses, escorts, guards, etc.. all leave this industry of death...the doors will close once and for all and the babies will be spared.
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