Have you ever heard the unified screams of 2,000 people?
I have.
Has that sound caused your heart to break?
It broke mine.
There we were, two people wearing blue amongst a sea of bright orange. The sound of the screams causing chills to run up and down my back as I fought off the tears of hopelessness. Desperately, my sister and I prayed aloud as the anti-lifers shouted "Shame! Shame! Shame!"
Pro-lifers were supposed to be wearing the color blue, and blue speckled the orange crowd last night. However, half of those wearing blue held up signs advocating the selfishness of women. Our numbers were few, our ranks at a pitiful minimum.
We had been standing in a line to get to the senate gallery for an hour and a half, telling Planned Parenthood supporters that no, we didn't want to fill out their sheet of paper, and no, we didn't want their brochure.
When the first shout went up, there was a mad rush at for the gallery door. Eliza and I squeezed our way through so that we could just barely see the door if we stood on our tip-toes. The chant "Let us in! Let us in!" filled our ears as it echoed throughout the capitol building.
"We need to pray!" I shouted in Eliza's ear. And there, just the two of us began to pray with our eyes closed and our heads bowed. Before we knew it, we were joined by another blue shirt. As we were praying with her, another pro-life supporter came up and joined our group. Together, the four of us stood and had a prayer vigil. The times we prayed hardest were the times the shouts were the loudest, the times when we couldn't hear ourselves think.
News was confusing, as some were saying the SB 5 passed, while others claimed it didn't pass before midnight. On edge, the four of us waited, never ceasing to pray even though we had run out of words to say. Unfortunately the bill did NOT pass, and we are currently praying now that Governor Perry would extend the special session today for another vote.
One of the things that saddened me was when a father decked out in orange lifted his toddler daughter to his shoulders (also in orange) and led her in the chant. Do those children even understand what they were shouting for? Do they not know that their parents were chanting for the right to kill them? How terribly heart-wrenching is that?
Perhaps the worst part of the whole experience was the fact that there were so few supporters of LIFE there. As far as I could tell, the four of us were about it. What level has this country sunk to? As my mom put it, the darkness is just getting darker.
For 5 hours my sister, two new friends, and I stood there with our backs to a wall (literally) and watched as evil yet again was what the people wanted. My heart broke. My prayers turned to just simply saying, "No, God, no!"
And yet, I still serve a God who is in control. I still serve a God who is sovereign. I still serve a God who is putting into place His perfect plan. I still serve a God who was very much present at the capitol last night. I serve the God, who when the crowds chanted "Shame! Shame! Shame!" reacted in the way that Psalm 2 depicts: "The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the LORD scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 'I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.'" (emphasis mine [verses 4-6])
It was during our prayer vigil last night that I was reminded of William Wilberforce - a man who literally spent his entire life fighting to end slavery in England. He expended his time, health, and energy to fighting for what was right and what was worth it. I want to be the next William Wilberforce.
This fight against cold-blooded murder isn't over yet.
We're not through yet.
I have.
Has that sound caused your heart to break?
It broke mine.
There we were, two people wearing blue amongst a sea of bright orange. The sound of the screams causing chills to run up and down my back as I fought off the tears of hopelessness. Desperately, my sister and I prayed aloud as the anti-lifers shouted "Shame! Shame! Shame!"
Pro-lifers were supposed to be wearing the color blue, and blue speckled the orange crowd last night. However, half of those wearing blue held up signs advocating the selfishness of women. Our numbers were few, our ranks at a pitiful minimum.
We had been standing in a line to get to the senate gallery for an hour and a half, telling Planned Parenthood supporters that no, we didn't want to fill out their sheet of paper, and no, we didn't want their brochure.
When the first shout went up, there was a mad rush at for the gallery door. Eliza and I squeezed our way through so that we could just barely see the door if we stood on our tip-toes. The chant "Let us in! Let us in!" filled our ears as it echoed throughout the capitol building.
"We need to pray!" I shouted in Eliza's ear. And there, just the two of us began to pray with our eyes closed and our heads bowed. Before we knew it, we were joined by another blue shirt. As we were praying with her, another pro-life supporter came up and joined our group. Together, the four of us stood and had a prayer vigil. The times we prayed hardest were the times the shouts were the loudest, the times when we couldn't hear ourselves think.
News was confusing, as some were saying the SB 5 passed, while others claimed it didn't pass before midnight. On edge, the four of us waited, never ceasing to pray even though we had run out of words to say. Unfortunately the bill did NOT pass, and we are currently praying now that Governor Perry would extend the special session today for another vote.
One of the things that saddened me was when a father decked out in orange lifted his toddler daughter to his shoulders (also in orange) and led her in the chant. Do those children even understand what they were shouting for? Do they not know that their parents were chanting for the right to kill them? How terribly heart-wrenching is that?
Perhaps the worst part of the whole experience was the fact that there were so few supporters of LIFE there. As far as I could tell, the four of us were about it. What level has this country sunk to? As my mom put it, the darkness is just getting darker.
For 5 hours my sister, two new friends, and I stood there with our backs to a wall (literally) and watched as evil yet again was what the people wanted. My heart broke. My prayers turned to just simply saying, "No, God, no!"
And yet, I still serve a God who is in control. I still serve a God who is sovereign. I still serve a God who is putting into place His perfect plan. I still serve a God who was very much present at the capitol last night. I serve the God, who when the crowds chanted "Shame! Shame! Shame!" reacted in the way that Psalm 2 depicts: "The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the LORD scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 'I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.'" (emphasis mine [verses 4-6])
It was during our prayer vigil last night that I was reminded of William Wilberforce - a man who literally spent his entire life fighting to end slavery in England. He expended his time, health, and energy to fighting for what was right and what was worth it. I want to be the next William Wilberforce.
This fight against cold-blooded murder isn't over yet.
We're not through yet.
Well said Alex. I was watching the livestream and was saddened that more pro-lifers (myself included) weren't in attendance. I'll make my best effort to be there in person next time (and to get there early enough to occupy a seat in the gallery).
ReplyDeleteI'm from CO, but I was with you in prayer the other night. Your band of four was not as alone as you may have felt. I too feel disappointed by the fact there were so few of us there in person. My prayer for the next vote is that the orange will drown in a sea of blue.
ReplyDeleteChiming in from Austin - a friend sent me the link. I was at the Capitol during the day, but had to come home and watched from here. So thankful for you!
ReplyDelete