How many of us have wanted to quit? i know i have... i'm sure that most of us have felt in a moment of weakness that prolife work is too hard/sad/tiring/taken badly/spiritually draining, or there is too much adversity/disrespect/disaproval/pain/anger. A friend of mine, who works full time in prolife work wrote an encouraging piece for our blog that speaks to us in our vulnerability and answers the question: why continue?
*Warning* all links in this piece lead to graphic videos.
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by Ruth Lobo Shaw
Sometimes, I think about all the hours I have logged doing pro-life work- all the 14 hour days, the long days standing outside a clinic, on campus, or on Facebook debating and engaging. It makes me want to quit, leave the country for some place warm and away. But then I think of them, and I persevere.
Some days, I think about all the verbal abuse that I have endured, all the accusations that I hate women by women who scream in my face. I think about the people who have lashed out in anger against me, demanding that I leave, that I stop talking about the babies. I am tempted to run away, close my mouth and never utter another word about the issue. But then, I think about the pain those little ones must feel as their limbs are torn apart and I realize that no amount of emotional pain I suffer even comes close to the physical pain these babies feel. And so I press on.
Often I reflect on the friends I have lost while fighting this battle. All the times I was questioned, judged, misunderstood, rejected or ostracized. I think about how If I said nothing, did nothing then maybe my life would be so much easier and I would be liked. I remember feeling so alone at times, wishing I could put the issue aside and be a normal 24 year old-- travel, hang out with friends and be care-free. But then, I remember that my silence would be a death sentence for these babies and the images press on my conscience. And so, I continue on.
After a long day in the office, I sometimes come home and think about how working somewhere else would be easier. Maybe I wouldn’t have to put in such long hour. Maybe I would not have to critically analyze every project I undertook to make sure it was effective. Maybe my husband and I could go on more dates. And then, an image comes to my mind of a couple going to the clinic with their little one, except they leave him or her there shattered. Thinking about them makes me realize that our little sacrifice as a family could stop this little family from a lifetime of pain and so, I am determined that our family will continue to try to protect these little families from being broken apart.
Sometimes I am tempted to think that maybe I am called to something else. That maybe my talents would be better suited for a different cause, or just at a more "regular job". But then I remember the babies that have been saved through the efforts of so many. And I think about the minds and hearts that have been changed. It was once said that he who saves a life, saves the world entire. This gives me hope for a future more beautiful than our present.
It takes greater strength of character to fight for someone else then it takes for you to fight for yourself. Will you continue fighting for these little ones?
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