"One" Part 4

Wow, I certainly never intended for this to become a four part series! But, as you can see, that's how it ended up! I hope God has used it in your life in some small way. 

Here are the remaining six points...some of them may be way out of your comfort zone. 
I say that because some are way out of my comfort zone.
But I think I've sat in front of my computer screen long enough. 
Is it scary?  
Yes. Actually it's kind of terrifying. 
Is it comfortable? 
No.  
But God has not called us to be comfortable. 
He has called us to do what's right.

7. Vote.
If you are at least eighteen years old and a United States citizen, then you had better be registered to vote. Every vote counts, and every vote makes a difference. If you think that your vote doesn't matter, you are wrong. I think of the quote most commonly attributed to Edmund Burke that says, "The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." You have a chance to do something. You have a right that others have fought and died for. Please don't take it for granted. 
One of the first things I look for when researching political candidates is whether or not they are pro-life. If they are "pro-choice," then that means they will not stand up to protect the lives of some of our nation's most vulnerable citizens. The very issue of abortion is rooted in the debate of whether or not every life is valuable at every stage. If the life of a child isn't valuable to them, then is the life of an elderly person valuable to them? Is the life of a "disabled" person valuable to them? Is my life valuable to them? Probably not.
Their pro-choice viewpoint tells me that they don't value life enough to save it. I will not vote for that kind of leader.
On another note, there is an argument that abortion being legal doesn't affect the rate of its occurrence- that is an outright lie. I believe abortion is absolutely more common and accepted because it is legal. If it were made illegal, the rates would, in my opinion, significantly decrease. 
There's also this argument that illegal abortions aren't "safe." 
You know what?  
They're right. 
But guess what? 
Legal abortions aren't safe either. 
At least one person dies in either case.
By voting for pro-life officials and voting to outlaw abortion, babies would be saved. 
And your vote could make that happen.

8. Volunteer. 
Maybe you don't have money to give, but you can give your time! Look for ways to volunteer for the pro-life cause.
It could be for your local CPC or another pro-life organization.
Most pregnancy centers depend on their volunteers. They need people to serve as counselors. Honestly, that scares me to death. I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing or not knowing what to say at all. Somebody has to do it, though! If you have a gift with people, or the gift of compassion, it may be a good fit for you. Consider if that's where God is calling you. If it's not, there are other opportunities to serve, such as answering phones, setting up appointments, organizing supplies, etc. 
You could also consider volunteering to help a political candidate who takes a strong stand for life. 
Every "little" bit helps!


9. Start. 
Consider whether God could be calling you to start a pro-life ministry at your church. It could have several different faces...
You could get a group together to help single moms in your church...some ideas are helping with financial issues she may be having or even just offering to watch her child(ren) for a night so that she can have some time for herself!
You could head a project in order to raise money for your crisis pregnancy center or for another organization. Several years ago at my church, we filled baby bottles with loose change and gave the money (and the bottles, if I'm not mistaken) to our CPC. I loved doing that! There are countless other fundraising ideas if you are willing to put in the time to do them. 

This last one will take a lot of courage.

Maybe you have had an abortion and have found healing and hope in Christ. Would you be willing to share your testimony with the church? Would you be willing to start a Bible study for other post-abortive women and lead them on the same journey?
I was so moved by Surrender the Secret. There is so much power in the testimony of a woman who has walked through abortion. Because I have never experienced the results of an abortion personally, my testimony may not be considered to hold as much credibility as yours. Do you know how powerful it would be for a woman like you to be bold enough to stand and say, "I had an abortion. Because of it, I have lifelong scars. But I have found hope and healing in Jesus Christ and I want you to have that, too." There is power in the fact that you have experienced it. You know what takes place in the heart and mind of a post-abortive woman. And therefore you have the power to walk beside other women and tell them that they are not alone. There are women everywhere silently crying for healing...you could be the one to lead them to it.
 
10. Adopt. 
Yup.
Read that again.
You just did a double-take, didn't ya?
No, I'm not kidding. 
I'm dead serious.
I understand that not everyone is in the position to adopt. But would you prayerfully consider whether God is leading you to adopt a child that may have otherwise been aborted? These babies need to be loved, wanted, and accepted as part of a family. 
Don't just pass over this like it's a crazy idea- stranger things have happened! 
God has adopted us as His children into His family...don't you think He wants us to adopt into our families the children He has created? 
Don't pass this by- really think about it!
Lord willing, we will be posting about this again. So don't think you're off the hook! ;)


11. Pray.  

"Prayer is our foundation for making a difference. Trying to change the world without prayer is like trying to use a new iPod without charging the battery. You have to connect to the power source before you can start rockin'." -You Were Made to Make a Difference, Max Lucado & Jenna Lucado Bishop

To pray is to have the capability to move mountains. So do you think Satan wants God's children to pray? Absolutely not! Praying can be really hard...there are a million different distractions that we could give in to and a million other ways that we could spend our time. But God's Word says...

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Philippians 4:6 NIV

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." Ephesians 6:18 NIV

"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray." James 5:13a NIV

"The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:16b NIV

(Emphasis mine) 

Pray for the babies, the mothers, the fathers, the families, the abortion clinic workers, the doctors, the post-abortive women, the crisis pregnancy center volunteers, the decisions about abortion being made by our government...the list could go on and on. Just the length of the list of things that need to be prayed for is overwhelming. I'll be honest, I don't pray about this half as much as I should. It is...again, overwhelming. That's the only word I can think of to describe it. I tend to forget that praying for one thing each day, or for a few things each day, is better than not praying at all.
The bottom line is to just pray.
  
12. Love.
If you come across someone who has been affected by abortion, just love her.
With the high rate of both abortion and unplanned pregnancy in our country, chances are that you probably know someone who is facing or has faced one of the two situations...whether you realize it or not.


A hug and gentle words will point to Jesus much more strongly than a pointing finger and condemning tone.
Jesus came to save the world, not to condemn it (John 3:17). We should follow His example.


1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." (ESV, emphasis mine)

I wonder what this passage would look like if it were speaking about abortion and the pro-life cause. I imagine it would look something like this...

If I speak eloquently and use my voice for the voiceless, and if I write impassioned blog posts to get my point across, but have not love, I am nothing but a repetitive noise for someone to shout over. And if I protest in front of abortion clinics and give my time to volunteer at crisis pregnancy centers, and if I have voiced every argument against abortion that I can think of, and if I have challenged the American government and its citizens to outlaw this atrocity, but have not love, then none of it matters. If I give away everything I have in order to support pro-life organizations, and if I am dragged to jail or even killed because of being so outspoken about my beliefs, but have not love, I gain nothing.

I am in no way trying to distort Scripture with that last paragraph. 
My point is just to show that it doesn't matter what I accomplish for the pro-life cause if I don't do it in love. 
Jesus says the greatest commandment is 1) to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and 2) to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:34-40)

You may not have any money to give, but you can love.
You may not have any pro-life shirts to wear, but you can love.
You may not feel led to volunteer your time at a CPC, but you can still love.
You may not be called to adopt a child, but you can love.

LOVE. 

Don't forget it.

                                                                                                              

Thanks for hanging with me through these four posts...I've been convicted by writing this of the need to practice what I preach.
Like I said before, I hope God has used this "series" in some small way. 
This list is in no way perfect or exhaustive, and some of the categories overlap a bit, but I hope it helps you find a "small" way to get involved.  God can use even the smallest things for His purposes!
Let us know how you acted on the call to be the "one"! We'd love to hear how God is working in you! 

I'd like to close with this quote from Edward Everett Hale:

"I am only one,
 But still I am one.
 I cannot do everything,
 But still I can do something;
 And because I cannot do everything 
 I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

God bless you ♥

Ashlyn