I keep picturing my tender Jesus who kneels low with arms wide open, smiling into their faces and resting his hand on their touselled hair, "Let the little children come to me..."
How his heart must break to watch people claiming his name, exercising their free will, as they loudly, passionately, and ... often gracelessly ... shout "PRO LIFE!" yet turn around in hypocrisy to vote, support, and campaign for their love of guns, their personal rights and freedom to carry the weapons that so frequently and intentionally are used to snuff out the life of another.
Yesterday? Two adults and 19 elementary children.
Nineteen.
The ages of my 3 kids.
God have mercy. Oh, how we weep and rage.
Their tiny bodies.
The unfathomable pain.
It doesn't have to be this way.
HOW can it continue to be this way?!
Miss me with your pro-life marches if you're not willing to lay down your gun.
Oh, I know there's nuance around gun views. But this morning? With 19 children, just like my freckled-faced babies sleeping safely upstairs...19 babies murdered, their parents' arms are empty and souls are wailing... it doesn't feel nuanced.
Pro-life cannot co-exist with a gun obsession when there are so few protections in place.
A life is worth so much more.
Pro-life?
As a Christian, I can't wrap my head around how so many Christians view pro-life...how little their view of life often is.
I hear shouts of "Pro-life!" and then watch the refusal to support policies that help welcome and elevate the quality of life for the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalized, the immigrant, the refugee, and those losing the battle to hope.
I hear the rallying cry, "Pro-life!" But where is the funding, the care, and the grace that supports the woman...her access to affordable healthcare, food, housing, childcare, emotional and relational help, maternity leave, and protection from abuse? Care for life in the womb - yes! But also remember the mother and her story.
I'm so confused when too many shouting "Pro-life!" support the death penalty.
And because my heart is wholly rung out, please agree with me that there is no pro-life value when the powerful in churches and organizations participate, perpetuate, hide, deny, and dismiss abuse; shaming, ostracizing, slandering, and disbelieving the victims -- the vulnerable who are forced to become courageous survivors. It's sickening. It's criminal.
This hypocrisy isn't in line with the teaching of the Jesus I love and follow.
Oh, he is pro-life, no question about it!
Pro-abundant life for the honest, the repentant, the open-hearted, the faithful.
He's pro-life for the babies, the children, the women, the men, the elderly, the refugees, the poor, the outcast, the shamed. Pro-life for the criminal who hung on a cross beside him.
He is pro-life for all.
"All who are weary, come..."
He came and laid down his power...his rights...his life to rescue us.
He came and laid down his power out of love...to give life.
Christians, if our value on human life isn't matching God's, WE HAVE GOT IT WRONG.
God have mercy on us.
Heal our broken values and beliefs on what life looks like for all those around us.
Forgive us, merciful God, as our little children's blood cries out from the ground.
Comfort the shattered hearts, bring healing to the traumatized souls, and breathe hope today and in the days to come when it must feel so hopeless in this pain.
Open our eyes to see life through your eyes, give us hearts to move us to act humbly and justly and in love.
Like Emily P Freeman recently said, "Turn us all the way around."
Imagine how much hope and light we could infuse into this hurting world if we laid down our distorted views and rallied around life for all...if we were truly and thoroughly pro-life.
Let it be so.