We greatly appreciate the time our friend, Nathan Sheets, has spent in writing out the following encouragement for teens to get involved in the pro-life movement. Please take the time to read this short yet powerful guest post.
Teens: Save a Baby — Volunteer!
There are two groups of people that are most important to the pro-life movement. The first group is, quite obviously, post-abortive women. These women have powerful stories of the reality of abortion and, while showing that abortion kills a baby, they show how abortion also hurts women. The other group of people do not always have stories to share, nor money to give, nor influence to work with politicians, and yet they are one of the most powerful groups in the pro-life movement: teenagers.
I started doing pro-life work when I was 16. Being rather ignorant at the time, I quickly found out that I had a lot to learn. But people listened to me. Perhaps they were secretly amused that a mere teenager would speak to them about an issue that he couldn’t possibly know anything about! It could have been that they listened only for an opportunity to “educate” me on the truth later. Or maybe they wondered why I didn’t fit the stereotype of what a pro-lifer is. Whatever the case may have been, I was able to get hundreds of people to read my pro-life blog—most of whom were pro-choice.
If you’re a teenager, you should take abortion seriously. For every two of you, there’s one person missing. Really, think about that for a second. It’s impossible for you not to know a woman who has had an abortion, because nearly one in four women have had one. Your generation, whether you realize it or not, is already at the age where many pregnancies and abortions occur. You may be oblivious to abortion’s influence around you, but it is there nonetheless.
Perhaps some of you are not oblivious. That’s good! But you have ask yourself what you are going to do about it! Are you going to sit there and do nothing? Are you going to pray? Are you going to get out there and do something to save babies? I would definitely suggest the latter two!
Prayer is the foundation of the pro-life movement. When people pray, things happen. Just last year the “Bound for Life” (www.bound4life.com) group started (a group based on prayer) and that was the year that the most pro-life bills went through to become law—ever! If you don’t pray to end abortion, abortion will not end.
Secondly, prayer is not enough. The Bible tells us not only to “hate what is evil” but also to “overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) We should react to evil!
Some people are quite concerned when they think of joining the pro-life movement. They think that, perhaps, it’s not for them. They don’t feel comfortable standing outside of clinics or talking to people at a fair. That’s OK! There are countless jobs that you can do to help! From stuffing envelopes for a political action committee, to personally counseling and helping pregnant teens at a pro-life pregnancy resource center—there are jobs for the quiet and meek as well as jobs for the outgoing and bold.
On my closing note, I’d like to encourage you all with one very important thing: it is very easy to save a baby. You see, pro-lifers have all of the right answers when it comes to arguments for abortion—really, we do. You may not realize this given our negative attention in the media, but there’s no way a pro-choicer can win an argument with an educated and humble pro-lifer. Because of this, saving a baby is easy.
This is because women don’t really want abortions. Women who face this option are usually scared, without resources and feel as if there is no other way out. They are wrong—there is always help for them. They just need someone who can tell them. Are you willing?
Organizations Worth Considering
National Right to Life (political action, education)
Find your state and city affiliate at: www.nrlc.org
Pregnancy Resource Centers (to help mothers with unexpected pregnancies, counseling of post-abortive women hurt by abortion) at: www.pregnancyresource.org
Bound for Life (prayer at clinics—very effective and tasteful) at: www.bound4life.com
Pictures courtesy of Pregnancy Resource Centers website.
Thank you Nathan 🙂
You have challenged me to began thinking about, seeing, understanding, praying, and searching for ways to be bold in the pro-life movement of grace and love. Do I have the right to say, “saving babies and those involved in the life of the unborn is not for me”? Of course I have the right to answer “yes” but at what cost? For me to answer “yes” is to allow the living and the unborn to die. So my answer is no. I choose to put aside my excuses and seek the Lord to open doors and show me how, where, and what I am to do.
I thank you again for the Lord used you to put another piece of the puzzle in my life in regard to pro-life.
Grace
No problem grace.
The pro-life movement is a thankless cause, save when a baby is saved. No one goes into it for the money. All of our rewards will be given to us later.
But it is worth it nonetheless. Even if only one life is saved, I think it’s worth it. Who knows what that person can achieve? But, of course, it doesn’t just have to be one baby, because the more we do, the more women will choose life.
Thank you for writing this article/challenge, Nathan. God has been laying it on my heart for a while now to volunteer at our local CPC, so your article was very timely. I think these two verses are especially relevant to the pro-life movement:
Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. ~ Proverbs 31:8-9 (KJV)
Thank you for pointing out that the most powerful tool we have is prayer. That is so true, and I will definitely be checking out the group you mentioned.
God bless!
(Brett, thank you for posting this on The Rebelution – I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise!)
Thank-you for posting this! At the moment, I really do believe I am unable to become directly involved with a crisis pregnancy center: between lack of a vehicle, my full-time job and staying involved with my family. However, I CAN pray. I am on our local CPC’s email list and get prayer updates. If you really can’t do anything but pray, I would suggest that you contact your local center so that you can pray for genuine needs.
Recently, I got a notice from our local CPC telling of their especial need for maternity clothes. I’m looking into possible donating clothing to the center. I just can’t give away my Mom’s clothes just yet. 😉 Just an idea. If you cannot volunteer, help with a need that they have: formula, baby clothes, diapers…etc…
I’m sorry; I probably should have rephrased that. When I said, “genuine needs,” I meant specific needs. For instance, last year our center was in the process of trying to purchase an ultrasound machine. I like having something to pray for, rather than a mere blanket prayer, “Please bless the efforts of the staff; please protect these children from abortion.”
I want to help with the pro-life movement but I am too young to volunteer at a PRC center. Any ideas?