7 Reasons Your Should Attend the March for Life
Opinion
Natalie Brumfield Jan 13, 2016 | 12:45PM
Washington, DC
Every January,
I usually see the same faces coming to the local and national Marches for Life
happening across our country. I long to see more people I don’t know
participate, even people to whom I live next door. There may be a myriad
of reasons why not everyone comes.
You may think you don’t want to attend because that isn’t your thing—you
are involved in other ministries and the pro-life stand is great, but not your
battle. Or you may not come because you don’t think anything is wrong with
abortion. You may not come because you aren’t a Christian and you leave that up
to the Christians.
But what if? What if
you came just to see what it was like to attend? What if you came just to see
what the people were like? Here are 7 reasons I think everyone should experience the March for Life, whether
in Washington, DC or other locations nationwide.
Photo: March for Life / Flickr
1.
Come and see for yourself
I don’t know about you, but I tire from just hearing about things.
There are rumors and so much confusion that media and culture puts on the
pro-life movement. The best way to know about something is to experience it.
You should come once and for all, seeing for yourself what it’s
like to be at a pro-life gathering. Come and meet the people and ask them
why they are there. Their stories and their hearts just might warm yours.
2.
Open your eyes
Most people agree about animal rights or laws that ensure basic
land conservation and protection. But somehow, not everyone agrees about the
rights of the baby in the womb.
If you haven’t heard in person why a pro-life advocate believes
the right to be born is the most sacred right of all (and I mean really
listened with eyes wide open), then you should. Open your eyes to seeing this
perspective for the very first time. Speakers at pro-life gatherings and
marches explain in their own personal stories why every human life—before or
after birth—is irreplaceable.
Photo: March for Life / Flickr
3.
Act on compassion
Your attending can be an act of compassion. You may not think of
it that way, but it is. Attending a pro-life gathering is seen as an act of
compassion for those that are defenseless against their choice to live.
You are gathering on their behalf and Heaven sees you there. You
are having compassion for life and taking an action step of being there to
participate and listen about the next steps to help the unborn.
4.
Speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves
You have a life and you have a voice. But there are those who
cannot be heard yet. We carry authority to speak up for the ones who can’t speak.
A lot of people are afraid to take a side on any cause—not wanting
to offend or seem radical. Is it so radical to stand up for a defenseless baby?
Is it so radical to adopt? Is it so radical to be a foster parent? Is it so
radical to pray for Life?
The world will say “That’s a personal matter; it’s up to the mom
or dad.” And it is personal; it’s
personal to that tiny human who has no voice or say-so for their own life. Our
job is to make sure the world knows their lives do matter—that we defend their
cause, the cause of the defenseless.
Natalie and her husband carry their foster child during the pro-life march in Birmingham, AL (Photo Courtesy of Author)
5.
Learn something new
I’ve been praying for Life since I was 7 years old. I’ve been to
countless gatherings, marches and conferences in my life. But after each one, I
come away learning something new, something fresh that inspires me.
Who doesn’t want to be inspired? I always want to push myself to
see things better, to listen more and take in the stories. I hear stories of
abortion survivors and I’m in awe that they lived. I’m in awe of the passion
and voice they bring to the world. I hear personal accounts of moms and dads
who aborted their babies and I grieve with them as they cry retelling their
journey.
I hear stories about families who changed their minds and now they
can’t imagine their life without their child. Every story is different in its
own situation—but I learn. I learn from their stories and I walk away different
every single time.
6.
Learn to pray
In my experience, I’ve learned how to really let go of distractions,
let go of the world around me and talk to Jesus with the most humility when I
am praying for life. When life and death are on the line, and God says you have
a say so in it—you learn to get on your knees and
pray with everything in your body.
At a March for Life when you are hearing the speakers and their
firsthand accounts, your response flows most genuinely out of prayer. I
seriously credit the growth of my prayer life to the times I was praying for
innocent life before God. The greatest part of the March for Life is when we
silently march and pray around the city. There is a presence of peace and of
hope that comes as you pray.
Pro-life advocate Krystal Edens stands in silent prayer during March for Life 2015 (Photo: Matt Lockett)
7.
Be a difference maker
Every morning, my mom and dad would drop us off at school and say
this phrase to my sisters and me: “Be a difference maker.” And now, I say it to our foster son each time I
drop him off. I want to empower everyone I know that they, too, are a
difference maker.
You can make a difference for good every single day if you want
to—it’s the doing that makes it true. So I ask you, what more of a difference
can you make than saving a life? Today, 125,000 babies worldwide will die in an
abortion. That means that in a single
year, the world count of babies dying from abortion is 40-50 million
abortions. Come to a pro-life march and learn how you can be a part of making
that number smaller.
There are so many first steps you can take for the ending of these
innocent deaths. Let gathering with people who’ve experienced it and their
stories—beautiful and heartbreaking—be your first experience toward making a
difference for life.
One of many local chapters nationwide, Bound4LIFE Birmingham makes a difference year-round (Photo Courtesy of Author)
John Maxwell says, “Success is all about me, but significance
is about other people. Valuing people, believing in people, and unconditionally
loving them is the key to significance.”
Want to lead a life of significance? Be a difference maker in
other people’s lives. I ask you to think of the people most at risk: the baby
in the womb. Be a difference maker for them, their children and their children’s children.
Join
Natalie and thousands of pro-life advocates at March
for Life on January 22, along
with OneVoiceDC—an evening prayer and worship gathering
to launch the weekend.
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