Reimagining Pro-Life: 30 Days With Save the Storksنموونە

HEART // 

Jesus is constantly asking His followers hard questions. As we follow Him, we should find ourselves doing the same. In reading today’s verse we can ask ourselves and others, What in the world does it mean to daily take up our cross? What does it mean to lose our life for Him? How do we know that we are truly walking with God in our daily lives?

The answer can be found, in part, by asking another question: How often do we sacrificially serve those around us? Giving until it hurts is what taking up our cross is all about. If our lives are characterized by a willingness to listen and respond wisely to the needs of others, we can be sure that we are following in Jesus’ footsteps. 

Too often, however, the cultural ‘need for more’ hinders us from denying ourselves! We find ourselves numbly climbing the ladder of more to do, more ambition, and more comparison. This ladder offers a false sense of security and distracts us from following Jesus. In a culture that always wants more and more of everything, we must realize that our hearts truly need less. 

If we want to let go of that ladder, we may need to let go of finding satisfaction in our own possessions, positions, our ‘rightness,’ or security. Then we will free up so much space in our lives to extravagantly love and serve others. 

Let these questions and thoughts from pastor and author Francis Chan sink in: “When was the last time you sacrificed for someone else’s sake? Unless I’m mistaken, isn’t that the whole point of the Gospel? If this isn’t commonplace in your life, and you can’t think of anyone outside your family you’d sacrifice for, you need to seriously examine your life. This is what separates Christians from the rest of the world."

These are the types of open, honest conversations that we should be having in the family of God. Let’s offer our hearts up to the Lord, asking these challenging questions of ourselves and each other. The answers will help us to live more thoughtfully.

Sometimes the political nature of the abortion issue in our country prevents us from being willing to be generous with others. We may be all right and all wrong at the same time. Right in believing the truth about abortion, but wrong in being influenced by judgemental voices who believe shaming abortion-minded women will serve to change their minds when, in reality, it only hurts them more deeply.

We should be motivated instead by the love of Jesus, He who climbs down the ladder, looking for the lost over and over again. Many of us are so polarized by our position (even if it’s correct!) that we can’t see over to the other side to learn or to love. 

You might be thinking, So where is the how-to manual? Who do I believe? How generous is generous enough? How much of my time, money, and energy should I be giving? 

You do not need a how-to manual, because your every How? is answered in the God-made-Man: Jesus. You should look to Christ, who spent Himself so that you could be free from the never-ending ‘need for more.’ Go and do likewise! May every plan and ambition be refined by the Holy Spirit; inspired by Jesus; and oriented toward your calling in the Kingdom, so that you are able to use whatever education, talent, and privilege you’ve been blessed with to spend yourself for others.

// WORK 

Today you asked yourself a series of questions. Hopefully, your grip on ‘me’ time, ‘me’ money, and ‘me’ achievements has loosened as a result. Letting go of our ambition and need to be ‘right’ can be really challenging! But Jesus shows us the way. . . . He broke through every cultural norm, every ‘right’ way, to show us that following Him is the only way. When we choose to give our lives to Jesus, our lives become not ‘our’ lives, but His! (Galatians 2:20) Every day we must take up our cross — the instrument of death — and follow Him into situations that may be unconventional or silly to others, all for the sake of love. 

Today, take the time to reach out to one person or group that you aren’t necessarily close to — maybe even someone you don’t agree with or you’ve been avoiding — and find out how you can be a blessing to them today. Then, follow through as best you can! Maybe it’s sitting by someone at church who you usually go out of your way to avoid, bringing a dessert to a family on your block who doesn’t do things the way you do, or stopping by the pregnancy center nearest to you to find out what their biggest needs are. Write about your experience in your journal. Yes, this is a big ask, but we have to practice facing tough situations with extravagant generosity if we really want to follow Jesus’ command to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily.