I spend a great deal of my time watching, reading, and observing the news. I desire to know what is going on around me. This desire is not prejudice, as it includes sports, pop culture, politics, science, and anything my kids wish to watch on Netflix. This desire is housed in a desire to have some type of understanding of a great many things so that I can have discussions with a great many people.
Some may argue that this is due to my love of a good debate or argument. That is certainly part of it, but this is also due to my love for conversation and my uncomfortableness with silence (I realize that this is a problem I need to address). This desire to obtain and ingest the news, however, tends to deflect my attention away from things right in front of me…from things that matter.
I seek to win debates or to have conversations on broad topics at the expense of the goings on right here and right now. This goes back to my “newness of creation” argument last week. I will not regurgitate that point here, but it is important that we, I, do not get so lost in the idea of debate that we neglect the actual fruits of the debate’s labor.
I was hit with this truth over the past weekend when we received a note from a former patient. This patient faced a crisis pregnancy not too long ago and found her way to HOPE. Since visiting our clinic she has made a family, moved cities, and started her career as a photographer. The picture heading this post is her son and her note is below:
I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Without you and all the staff at HOPE, I can honestly say, I don’t think we would have this little guy today and more importantly, I don’t think Samuel and I would have become a family. You guys gave us HOPE, taught us so much, and supported us when we had none. You gave us resources that made it possible for us to keep this little guy, and for that I will forever be grateful. He is our HOPE baby and you guys will always be a part of his story. Thank you for loving us and giving us HOPE 💙!
I share this with you today because I want you to see the difference you are making in the lives of so many. We tend to get lost in the pro-life argument. We find our focus on the very steep uphill climb on this important issue. Oftentimes we do this at the expense of the amazing wins happening right in front of us.
We lose sight of the glorious opportunities we have because we would rather argue or win some debate. Right now as I type there is an argument going on about the value of a three-year-old child versus the value of a gorilla. Logic would say this argument is a silly one, but logic doesn’t always win out in today’s narrative. But, I digress. My point here is a simple one. While we argue and focus on the negative, this patient found HOPE.
This patient was not dealing with hypotheticals or debate illustrations. This patient was dealing with an unplanned pregnancy that would change the course of her life forever. This is what we do at HOPE every single day. We seek to prove value to those that struggle to see that truth in their own lives or the lives of the child they are carrying.
The goal here is not to win an argument; instead, it is to love someone so much that you will tell them of their value. Since 1997, HOPE has been blessed to be a part of a large number of life stories. This is an honor we will never take for granted.
Please know I am not suggesting that you disengage from the larger discussion, debate, or argument on life and abortion. We must continue to climb that steep hill in front of us. I will continue to encourage and assist in this arena. I am simply suggesting that today, you take time during this engagement to recognize the wins, both large and small, in front of you. Recognize them because they are happening daily.
Notes like the aforementioned should rejuvenate our movement. This is why we get up, engage, debate, and converse. We should be leading with these stories – real stories involving real people that found HOPE and family!
I will debate with anyone on just about anything, but we fail when we see the debate as the goal or the “what matters.” The debate is a vehicle. Dialogue is a vehicle. The “what matters” is the stories of HOPE, the real lives being impacted, and the love that we are blessed to see.
posted by Andrew Wood, Executive Director of Hope Resource Center
