I Don’t Want You To Stop

I share my story with you because I don’t want you to stop showing the pictures.  I wanted you to know that they’re working so you don’t get discouraged and stop in a few years.  - Candace

She told us that people like us had been on her campus, UC Irvine, in 2010.  She was pregnant at the time, and when she saw the images of abortion victims, she decided not to have an abortion.

I watched the video of her saying this during the wrap-up session of our first activism day at Survivors ProLife Training Camp.  She happened to drive by and see our campers during a show-the-truth outreach, and pulled over to talk.  Thankfully, someone thought to record her testimony.

As I watched, I realized that I had been at UC Irvine in 2010.  I had been part of the outreach that had saved her daughter's life.  In fact, it was the first campus event I ever attended on behalf of Survivors.  

A friend recently asked me if I was emotional when I watched the video of Candace.  Actually, I was not emotional.  I was too stunned.

It felt like God pulled back the curtain to give us a little peek into what happens when we are on campus showing students images of abortion victims.  In His incredible generosity, He arranged for us to see how lives are saved by our work -- and the truth is that we play a very small role.  All we do is show up and have faith.

Sometimes pro-life activism feels surreal.  We invest our precious time and energy all to hopefully save the life of a person that we’ll never meet.  We realize we’re fighting a holocaust, that is, for the most part, silent and invisible.

I’ve never doubted that God called me to fight to end abortion, but sometimes I do feel like Thomas the Apostle, (A.K.A. Doubting Thomas).  It’s not like he denied that Jesus was the Messiah, or that he didn’t believe in God.  When he doubted that Christ had risen from the dead (which, let’s be honest, most of us would also question if we were him), Thomas was rebuked for his skepticism, but Christ STILL SHOWED HIM HIS SIDE (John 20:24-29).

Doubting Thomas, Caravaggio

Perhaps the story of Thomas is included in the Gospel for all of us doubters.  Thomas verified the Resurrection for everyone who would need to wrap their minds around it later.  He shows us that God, in His mercy, at times allows us to see some of the miraculous things He does every day.

After Thomas touched the wound in Christ’s side, he had no excuses.  He proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28), and went on to serve Him faithfully.  He could not walk away.  

I’ve been a pro-life activist for over four years.  I’ve never doubted that our work is effective.  After hearing Candace’s story, though, I’ve never been more convinced.  Now, I have no excuses.

Christ responded to Thomas, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”  Most pro-life activists never see the impact they make and we don’t need the affirmation of seeing that life saved.  We would keep fighting regardless of what our senses tell us, because we know that the possibility of saving one life is worth all of the sacrifice, and even more so, because we know it’s what God has asked of us.

Candace was brave enough to stop and share her story.  How many others like her could there be?  If every outreach we held just saved one life, that means just the Survivors Campus Outreach Team is saving hundreds of lives every semester.

Candace told us her story so that we would not stop.  Now I tell you, my freedom fighting friend of the preborn, my story so that you do not stop.  God is using you... and you are blessed because you believe.