I am currently sitting in a hotel room in Charleston on family vacation. Some would argue that I should not write a post this week and simply take advantage of some much needed time off. I, partially, agree with this statement and plan to enjoy my week away from the office, but I struggle with completely detaching from my work…the work of life. I struggle because there is still so much work to be done, so many lives to save, and so many broken and hurt people facing desperate situations. I realize that it may sound a bit arrogant to think that I, alone, can impact or change the outcome of so many decisions being made every minute. Arrogance is not my posture. I care deeply about the men and women in these dire scenarios and I care deeply for the life they are choosing to keep or terminate. It is this deep passion that forces me to care, stay up at night, and engage in the narrative. Can I, alone, make a difference? I do believe that one person can certainly make a lasting impact on a movement or a cause, but I also believe that a team of people can change the world…this is why I go to work at HOPE with a great team every day!!

I spend a great deal of free time reading. I read bestsellers, newspapers, blogs, magazines…I read on political topics, pop culture, and life. I take all this in so that I may find myself well equipped to make an impact. I do not wish to play from the sidelines. I do not wish to disengage from the world and watch as brokenness is celebrated. I am well aware that this movement doesn’t fail or succeed based on my involvement, but I do believe that this movement fails if disengaging becomes the norm. It fails if we simply pass the buck or if we continue to kick the can down the road. At some point a generational leader or leaders must arise and give voice to the voiceless. At some point an entire generation must realize that due to a lack of engagement in the past we have actually seen an entire generation be terminated…roughly 57 million since 1973. This number is staggering but it doesn’t even begin to show the brokenness that it has left in its wake. The countless number of moms and dads that suffer with guilt and shame. The countless number of grandparents that carry the burden of forcing or, at the very least, strongly encouraging their babies to not have more babies. The countless number of men that either didn’t have an opportunity to speak for life or threw their opportunity away because they cared more about laying down than standing up.

The choices we make matter. Our choices to engage or not engage, to stand or to sit, to choose life or termination, love or hate. These are all real choices that we make every minute of our lives. My 12th grade English teacher used to tell me, “You have 24 hours in a day…it is up to you what you do with those hours.” This statement continues to haunt me. Think about it. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, Martin Luther King Jr., Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg all operate or operated within 24 hour days just like me and you. Their body of work speaks for itself. Our country is better off on so many levels because of each of them. So the question I ask myself daily is a simple one. What am I doing with my hours, my minutes, and my seconds? Where do my thoughts go when I wake up every morning, when I find myself alone in the afternoon, or when I lay down at night? Do I focus on the trivial? Do I allow my thoughts to be driven by my selfish desires or do I seek to think of others? How much of my time is focused on making a difference and seeing lives changed in my home, my circle of influence, and the community God has placed me in? These questions should clear up a great deal for each of us as we seek to evaluate our motives and our mission in life.

I don’t want anyone to think that I am on some kind of high horse or that I have all this figured out. It is true that I intentionally think about how I spend my minutes, but it is also true that I can find myself watching hours of pointless YouTube videos, neglecting my kids and my wife, or just being lazy. I fail quite a bit. I am not looking for perfect people to join me in this work. I do not have unrealistic expectations. We at HOPE are simply looking for people that care deeply about other people. I can lock arms with a man or a woman that cares deeply about seeing our world impacted for good and life celebrated. This work involves more than just baby lovers. The life movement is a messy one, but it is one that is worth the pain because the benefits of seeing people transformed and lives saved are second to none.

I have spent about 30 minutes writing today. That means I have 23 and a half hours left of my day to make an impact. I plan on this impact being great as I relax with my family and show them that choosing life is a beautiful and glorious cause to be a part of…and also that on vacation this movement includes ice cream and water parks. Have a great week!

posted by Andrew Wood, Executive Director of Hope Resource Center