Let’s just get something out of the way right now: not everyone is going to like you all of the time.
I know, it’s not fun being unliked. But we can do this.
Sometimes being right is more important than being liked, and as Life Week approaches (next week!) this felt like an important reminder for myself, and maybe for you too.
We’ve been making signs, and already had conversations with a neighbour while outside taking photographs to share. Putting those same signs in my window for a full week, and then heading outside regularly to work in my front garden while keeping an eye on my biker gang of children means plenty more conversations are likely coming my way.
I’m not thinking all those conversations will be negative. Most will probably be pretty quick and vague as people try to get away from me as quickly and politely possible. Some will probably be encouraging, as those who were previously unaware of the status quo of legal abortion through all 9 months of pregnancy become aware and are rightly horrified. The issue of sex selective abortion is also one we can agree on: killing a child because she is a girl is wrong.
But it is possible I’ll trigger something for someone, because yes, abortion is a sensitive issue. Approximately one in four Canadian women will have an abortion. That’s someone I love, someone you love, and almost certainly someone in yours and my neighbourhood.
So, participating in Life Week this year may be more intimidating than going to a March for Life. At the March for Life, you can hide in the crowd – safe, supported, surrounded by others who agree with you about the sanctity of human life. Being an activist at home is different – you are not coming back to your neighbourhood to wind down after a day out marching: you are IN the neighbourhood marching.
And it’s worth it. Approximately 300 pre-born children are killed every day in Canada, and they cannot be heard unless we are willing to speak up. Silence on the issue only leads to death for more babies, and less support for women who are suffering. We are not in this to make friends: we are in this to change hearts and minds and wake our nation up to the injustice of abortion.
The pro-life message is not something to be embarrassed or quiet about: it is a message to be boldly, passionately shared. Life Week is a unique opportunity to do that in your neighbourhood, explaining that you cannot attend a March for Life due to the current restrictions, but are participating in other ways to spread the pro-life message.
Be kind. Listen well. Ask questions. Show your respect for every human life by how you treat every human you interact with. But do not be quiet, and do not be afraid to do hard things at home.