Greetings friends!
Last night, Mississippi celebrated a big victory!
I was very proud of my State.
I was also proud of the women in my household who got out to vote NO!
Although we are celebrating a victory here in the Capitol city this morning, I simply feel that I must address some of the concern I had during the election from people who were so adamantly against us.
Please understand that I am not pro-abortion. I think it’s terrible that it exists in this world…along with rape, incest, racism, lying, cheating, stealing…the list goes on and on.
But it exists. And it will continue to exist whether it’s legal or not.
The victory I’m celebrating today isn’t that abortion exists; I’m celebrating because we told the government to stay out of our uteruses!
That being said,
I haven’t felt this much anger and sadness about people who profess to follow Jesus Christ in years.
I have been absolutely distraught over the Personhood amendment and the way people reacted (and yes, I’m including myself).
Christians INSTANTLY made this about abortion.
And Liberals INSTANTLY made this about rights.
This amendment was really not just about abortion.
Not at all.
It was included in this very flawed amendment but it was about so much more than that.
If you want us to re-vote (yet again) on over-turning Roe vs Wade, then you should write an amendment about that. And only that.
This is why I have a huge problem with the majority of people who call themselves "Christians".
Because you never know what’s really going on.
You hear things in church, take things at face value (even though you SAY you do your research) back whatever it is you want to say with Bible verses, and then lash out at others who aren’t living by your rules. Or, excuse me, God’s rules.
Let me ask you a question, have you ever sinned?
If so, you have no room to judge.
I don’t understand why YOU don’t understand that. What other people do is none of your business. Period.
If you’ve had pre-marital sex, which according to the Bible is a sin, then you have no right to judge people who are pro-choice OR people who actually get the abortions. It’s the same thing.
Christians aren’t “pro-life”, they’re “pro-birth”. See, we already have tons of children who need homes here in Mississippi. These children were going to be aborted but because their mother probably had no other choice, they are here. And they are living in foster homes. The majority of them are being abused and sexually assaulted. They are then discarded by the State and they start committing crimes. They are the ones you tell your children not to talk to. They are the ones you don’t help. They are the ones who wish they had never been born. Please see statistics here and here.
So, yeah. I don’t see you “Christian Pro-Lifers” running down to UMC or Baptist or St. Dominic’s waiting to adopt a little black OR white crack baby. Or even a healthy baby for that matter.
I see a lot of you flying off to other countries to adopt, but not here. Not locally. You don't take care of your own. You don't really support life. You just support birth. How many of you even give your money to organizations you believe in? I’m willing to bet the majority of you don’t at all. How many of you have any plans to adopt these children? How many of you are giving of your time to these children?
Guess what? I’m a Christian. I believe in God. I believe that our God is a good God. I believe that we are in need of his grace and mercy. He’s brought me up out of the depths of hell. I am also willing to bet, the majority of you haven’t been to hell and back. If you had, you wouldn’t be acting and saying the things you are. You’d be more understanding. More compassionate. You would be so much slower at pointing fingers.
Have you EVER put yourself in the shoes of a woman who is contemplating, for whatever reason, on having an abortion?
Have you ever even talked to someone who’s had one?
Because guess what? These women are my friends. They are my family. They are me.
And no one has the right to judge what I do or how I handle my life except God.
I can’t tell you how repulsive and repugnant you make Christianity look. It’s why I will not say I’m apart of what you are. Because you aren't being Christ like, no matter how much you think you are.
Anyone can spit Bible verses out their ass 24/7. But what about your actions?
I don’t boast or brag about what I believe in with my words. I let people see what I believe in with my actions. And I guarantee you, the majority of the people in my life know what I believe even though I’ve never told them with my words.
A friend of mine wrote this concerning yesterday’s vote:
Just to clarify something...how you vote today will NOT determine how comfy your seat in Heaven will be. I am so frustrated with everyone defining a person's morality or faith by a single vote. What kind of example are we setting to the lost if we can't even respect our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? And since when does John 8:7 say that it's okay to cast the first stone? If you're passionate about the issue one way or the other, that's wonderful. But PLEASE. Love and respect one another in the same way that God respects you.
See, the thing is…you and I are the same. We are both children of God. And I would wager to bet we are both trying to do the best we can with what we have. I would bet that you are convicted of things with as much passion as I am. I bet you want what’s best for the people of this world as much as I do.
The thing is, we are not on separate teams. We are on the same team. But until we realize this, we will continue to have the little wars on who’s the “most good” and who’s the most “godly”. on who's "right" and who's "wrong".
I received a text from a friend who told me she hoped God would convict me of what is right. And that she was only “encouraging” me. And although she is very dear to me and I think her intentions were good, it did quite the opposite.
For people who think like that, I hope that God will convict you of your narrow-minded, fundamental, legalism that is causing you to be more of a deterrent for God than an aid for God.
It’s because of statements and people like this that turn people off from God. Not towards God.
I don’t think God likes this. I don’t think He likes you judging his handiwork. And I don’t think God needs YOU to stand up for that un-born child unless you are willing to back it up with your actions. Unless you are about to adopt that child, then I think you should keep your mouth shut. I think God’s got this. I think God wants you to love His people. I think God wants you to be more kind. And compassionate. And loving. I think God wants you to focus more on how you are like me, then on how much you are aren’t me.
The reason I think this is because I know this is what God wants me to do.
Make no mistake, I am a very flawed individual. I am not perfect nor have I ever pretended to be. I get angry, I get hurt, and I judge people. I make false accusations, I assume things, and I take things personally.
But I know that I’m in the wrong when I do those things. I know that it’s immature and irrational. And I know that is NOT what God would want me to do or how to act.
There are no teams here. There’s no team LIFE and team ABORTION. There’s just one team:
TEAM HUMANS: DOING THE BEST THEY CAN WITH WHAT THEY HAVE.
And you and I are both on it.
The two are really the same.
I don’t understand why you don’t see these things the way I do as much as you don’t understand why I see things the way I do.
And that’s okay. We don’t have to agree, we just have to remember we are on the same team.
And that, my friends, is my beef with Christians.
I really like Christ. I just really dislike the people He has working for him.
If you call yourself a Christian, please don’t take it lightly. People are watching. They are watching what you say but more importantly, they are watching how you act.
And if you call yourself “pro-life” then be pro-life, not just pro-birth. We have so many people here in need.
My friend, Terry, wrote this:
I am very touched by the outpouring of concern I have seen from my fellow Mississippians concerning innocent children. I have full confidence that everyone that votes yes on 26 tomorrow will go out and adopt one of the 500,000 or so of them that are awaiting adoption. I am also sure that each voter can use some of the gas money that they need to fill up their two or three SUV's or trucks to donate to the World Food Programme to help save some of the 15 million or so children that die from starvation every year. Here is the link if you need help in doing so. http://www.wfp.org/
I couldn’t have said it better myself. If you are Pro-Life, support ALL of life, not just unborn fetuses. Support the life we have here! Support each other.
Again, my stance on abortion is if you are against it and think it’s the worst thing in the world, then don’t have one. End of story. What other people do, with their bodies, is none of your business. It’s none of mine, so I don’t see why it’s any of yours.
Why did I vote NO?
Because it was the right thing for me to do.
Because I don’t want the government to legislate what I do with my body.
And if it makes you sad, I make no apologies. It makes me equally as sad that you don’t understand.
I am including a few blogs and statements that I thought are absolutely dead-on. One is even from a Baptist minister.
Even if you don’t agree, you might at least understand a little on why this issue was so important to the majority of us.
With peace in my heart,
jennifer
