“He has shown you, oh mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Dear Sister, the one who knows Jesus as your Father. The one who brings Him your heart, your prayers, and your desires. As the world turns and culture changes, so too, do the battles we face. The war is raging and the stakes are high. The fight that feels especially close to the heart of us woman, is that of the unborn.

To my sister that feels a longing to protect the child that is growing in the womb, I applaud you. You can’t imagine ignoring the tragedy of throwing away an innocent life.

To my sister that feels the longing to protect the sacredness of a woman’s body. To protect her from being undermined, undervalued, or even controlled, I understand. My heart goes out to you. You too feel the pace of this world changing at a rate that is alarming. The pull and the hate, it tears you up inside. There is a longing to do what is right and protect the innocent. At times there is an ugliness about the opposition that confirms inside your soul, that you must be fighting on the right side.

To both my sister that stands to protect the unborn and to my precious sister that determines to protect your choice, may I appeal to you both? May I for one moment, remind you that we don’t have to be at war? May I even suggest that we have the potential to do more if we allow the threads of love and compassion weave through our hearts and bind us together as one strong sisterhood?

I was the girl, many years ago. A sense of fear and anxiety overwhelmed me. Some difficult years and bad choices led me to a vulnerable place. At seventeen, I had many dreams ahead, but a new life growing inside. Excelling in my college courses while still in high school, yet a heart heavy with uncertainty.

What is a girl to do? I see beautiful, treasured, intelligent women go to war over the answer to this question. I see bumper stickers that claim to speak on behalf of our Creator. I read articles from respected members of the church who holdfast to the promise of a choice. I can only speak for myself and my personal experience with Jesus.

So back to the question, ‘ What is a girl to do’ ? When she is afraid, tired, vulnerable and scared?

There is no controversy here. The Lord calls us to seek justice. But first my dear sister, He calls us to know what is good. Before we act, we must know His goodness, more than we know our fears. We must remind our hearts, who is really in charge. To be effective for justice, we must first do the great exchange with our Heavenly Father. We trade our worries and fears for His comfort and His rest. He calls us to know, to meditate, think on, be confident in, what is good. Then and only then, can we be effective for our cause.

Jesus opens His arms and says, come. Come just as you are. When you are afraid, weary or vulnerable.

“Come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden and I will cause you to rest. I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls. Take My yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy (useful for good, not harsh, hard, sharp or pressing, but comfortable, gracious and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.” (Matt 11:28-30)

He promises wisdom, guidance, strength and help. He calls us forward to places unknown. Out of our comfort zone, out of where we have our false sense of control, into His loving arms. His love begs, give it all to me.

My Pro-Life, Jesus-following women, what if you are proving your point on abortion, but losing souls of the women in the process? Aren’t they both equally important to Jesus?

My Pro-Choice sisters, what if your are protecting your right to choose, but lose the innocence in woman’s heart in the decision ? She who, maybe didn’t want to make that choice, but felt obligated? What if that choice she is empowered to make actually steals her sense of womanhood, motherhood, or identity?

My brave sisters, although I do not waiver in my stand to defend life, I want you to know there is not one ounce of condemnation in Christ Jesus. Just as God calls to the lonely or fearful woman with a seed in her story, He sees you. He sees you with a seed of hope, of a dream, of a determination to stand for what is right. He sees you in this scary, overwhelming world and He is calling to you as well. Not just with this social justice, but with the many others. He wants to cradle you in His arms, and remind you how deeply He cares. How you can trust Him and give Him this fight. His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. He is your protector. He is the Great Change Agent. God’s love is the most powerful force on earth. He wants to lavish you in the goodness of His love, and then and only then will you have the power to go out and fight a good fight.

He has shown you, oh sister, what is good and what the Lord requires of you. So seek justice, but love mercy… and best of all you get to walk humbly with a God who is big enough to fight this battle and care for you in the process.