Dear Friend of Life:
It’s not about the numbers.
Every sidewalk counselor has a temptation to keep score — to think they are automatically more effective if they have a certain number of ‘saves’ in their back pocket.
But there can be an immense danger in this. For one, it doesn’t take into account the set-up of a facility, access to women, the weather, and the local culture. It also leaves out one very important element — the response of that individual woman to God’s grace. (Quite honestly, that is the thing that gets her to turnaround in the first place. It’s not us that’s saving her baby — it’s the grace of God!)
In fact, many times we can do everything right. We can practically throw the “sidewalk counseling training manual” at them, so-to-speak. But if they don’t say YES to the offer of help, we cannot move forward in helping them.
It reminds me of what one youth leader said to me in High School: “God is a gentleman — He will not force Himself on you.” We can say everything that needs to be said, and still, she might choose abortion.
Still, we never know how God will use our prayers and our efforts — even in those situations.
I still remember randomly getting connected to one pregnant woman-in-crisis in the Dallas area several years ago. I took her to the pregnancy resource center; I had her sit down with my favorite counselor. I prayed with her. I gave her every reason that she shouldn’t do it. And still …she had the abortion.
But you know what? A week later, I was the first person she called after her abortion. And she was sobbing.
“Lauren, I gave him everything. And he left. He took my books, my clothes, my car …and I even killed my baby for him!”
I remember telling her that we loved her — and even more so that God loved her and wanted to redeem all of this for her. And then, I told her the story of the Cross — that Jesus had taken all difficulty, sin and death and nailed it to the Cross, promising that He would redeem everything and give us the Resurrection.
I still remember her response soon after: “Lauren, how do I become a Christian?”
She felt so loved by us on the sidewalk, so to speak, that now, she wanted to know God Himself. I’ll never forget it.
I realized right then that even if we do our best and don’t see fruit right away that God might be using our prayers and efforts to reveal something even more amazing. (Again, not to make light of the fact that her preborn child had lost his/her life, but I realized that God might now be using this situation to ultimately save her soul!)
Keep in mind that we do admonish you to celebrate your victories on the sidewalk — after all, we do! We celebrate every life saved, knowing that it’s His victory in the first place. But we do not do it to ‘keep score’ — that’s not important to us. We do it to encourage the SAFL community that God is working in a special way and answering our prayers. However, there are no doubt many things occurring on the sidewalk — as exemplified in this story — that we cannot even begin to quantify.
Be sure to celebrate what He is doing in your midst, but don’t forget to stay alert to how the Holy Spirit might be taking the most negative situations and using them to do something even more amazing!
Christa and St. Gerard’s Center for Life leads the new SAFL location in Hartford, CT!
They are sharing the area with Manchester, CT, building recruits from across the city and encouraging them to join one of the two locations in order to offer loving alternatives to those entering the local abortion facilities.
Just a few weeks ago, many beautiful servants in the area who desired to become Sidewalk Advocates piled into a room at the center to participate in the training.
Christa shared one beautiful story that touched her in particular — she said that a woman came to her and quite honestly, told her that she just didn’t know if this was for her. Christa encouraged her to “give it a chance” and try out the program by attending the training.
She said that after the training, this woman came up to her and said, “This is for me! Thank you!” …and gave her a big hug! This woman had been encouraged by the spirit of the training and the many tips and strategies that all led to one important thing — offering LOVE, itself.
Christa and her team are so excited, looking forward to all that God will do in Hartford, CT!
Please keep all their new trainees in your prayers! And please also lift up the work of their pregnancy center — St. Gerard’s — which will be supporting them, as well!
WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL (AUGUST 31-SEPTEMBER 6, 2014): “WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?”
by Lauren Muzyka, Executive Director, Sidewalk Advocates for Life
Verse(s): “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah.'” — Mark 8:29
Reflection: We live in a world that doesn’t always acknowledge God in their midst. Many people want to do what they want, when they want, with no regard as to who it might affect.
But you and I are called to be salt and light to a world-in-need. The world around us might be proclaiming that comfort and pleasure are the guidelines to live by …but we know that the way to true fulfillment, happiness and peace comes from knowing and living in Jesus Christ.
When we live the way we are called to live as Christians, we live this proclamation and may save others around us from a life of selfishness, heartache and strife — not to mention, this proclamation may save their soul!
As the well-known Christian music group, DC Talk, said: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today are Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
Call to Action: Are you living what you believe? When you head out to the sidewalk, are you conducting yourself in a manner that is worthy of your calling? Are you attracting people through the light of Christ that shines through you? Evaluate your words, deeds and even the interior of your heart. Then, ask the Lord to transform you into a great example for those around you. Your example may be the thing that introduces someone to God Himself.