March for Life 2010

Yesterday, Joel and I braved the forecast of freezing rain and headed to Washington DC for the 37th annual March for Life. Joined by our friends Jesse (who is standing a step higher than we are in the picture above… he’s not a giant) and Marissa (and their 4-inch unborn baby), we met up with the team from a local church, Cornerstone Ministries, and their 6 busloads of people.

I was severely disappointed that our church was not able to put together a group this year, but I blame myself completely for that. I had assumed someone else was planning it and never verified, so by the time I realized that no plans were being made, it was too late for me to volunteer to do it. Next year, I won’t make that mistake again. It is truly a disgrace for a reformed, evangelical church within driving distance of DC not to send a group. The church of 1,000 members that I grew up in does not even send a group because no one volunteers to be in charge of planning. How sad is that? 130,000 aborted babies every day worldwide, 3,000 in the US alone, are not enough for us to feel “put out” for a day? Ridiculous, and completely “American.” But, then again, I am no better, when it comes to many many other desperately important causes. We’re all so selfish. It’s a reminder of just how fallen we are.

Off my judgmental soap box and back to yesterday…

On the way down, our bus captain prayed for good weather despite the miserable forecast or for patience to deal with the wet conditions. The bus emergency exit leaked the entire 5 hours to DC, and I did not hold out hope for a nice day. To be honest, I went to bed at 3:00 am the night before because I had a few hours of work to do after Project:Fracture (the college/career group at church that Joel & I organize). On two and a half hours of sleep and a giant cup of coffee, I was not optimistic about much at all but trying to hide it.

When we arrived in DC, the sun broke through the clouds, and my impatience and frustration seemed to dissipate with the clouds. God is good to me, especially when I don’t deserve it.

Cornerstone does not attend the Pro-Life rally before the March, so we spent an hour or two waiting along the road for the crowd to come around the corner from the national mall. It felt like a long time, but it gave us some time to talk and get acclimated to the stressful atmosphere of DC. Protest signs at the March range from simple pleas for prayer with photos of happy babies, calls for God’s forgiveness, proclamations of genocide and murder, and bloody, graphic photographs of dismembered aborted babies. I always find myself staring at the most stomach-turning photos. My brain screams for me to look away, but my eyes stay fixed. I feel angry just thinking about it, and I wish I could be this angry every day so I would not forget to keep my life in perspective somehow.

The March begins with a giant banner that stretches the whole way across Constitution Avenue, followed by the Silent No More group of women holding their heartbreaking signs that say “I regret my abortion.” As they pass, I have to blink back tears of frustration and grief. How many hundreds of thousands or millions of women live a life of regret because of the lies? And how many more do not even realize what is happening to their bodies when they use abortifacient chemical birth control pills?

Oye.

Back off the soapbox. Sorry.

After the March, we made our way through security at the Russell Senate Office Building, where Senator Specter helped us to reserve a caucus room for praise and worship. It was a truly amazing experience to have 300 people singing praises and lifting prayer to God in a building filled with Senators. I know that our voices bounced loudly off those marble walls and filtered down the hallways. I wondered how many officials were covering their ears and closing their doors, and how many were humming and praying along with us. Even though our theologies do not quite match up, I was so pleased to be part of the Cornerstone group. What a truly amazing opportunity we were given!

Praise God for His blessing during this day! And please remember to pray that He will turn our nation back to Him… Pray for the end of legalized abortion in our nation. Pray for our fellow believers who compromise for the sake of political correctness and selfishness. Pray for our hearts to be broken for the loss of potential, and pray the women whose lives are in turmoil over having to make a choice that will change them forever. Pray for the pro-life movement to stay bold and uncompromising while remaining loving and compassionate.

Pray that there will be a day when the March for Life will not be needed.

Tags: abortion, Jesse, joel, laure, March For Life, Marissa, Washington DC
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