Red State Ramblings

Here’s my humble encouragement for those living in a red state in a post Roe v Wade world.

Last Friday, my husband had just gotten home from a work trip. He was out in the garage working out, when he rushed through the door to where I was standing in the kitchen. “Did you hear, babe? The Supreme Court has finally announced their decision. Roe v Wade has been overturned!” I felt goosebumps run up and down my arms. What an incredible blessing from the Lord. My husband then promptly encouraged me to stay off social media for the day. He knows me very well and knows that all the push back, propaganda, and misinformation would make me emotional and frustrated. The next day, I opened up my IG app and, while there was much rejoicing and joy, there was also a whole lot of sorrow and anger. 

Then I had this crazy realization–I live in a state that will no longer allow abortions!  After being a California resident for so many years, I was almost in shock that I actually lived somewhere that would protect the innocent lives of unborn children. I live in a red state now! Abortion will no longer be legal in Texas! Now, don’t let the misinformation put you in fear, this does not mean that pregnant women will not be able to receive the life-saving care they need. (Treatment for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages are not abortions.) But it does mean that thousands and thousands of innocent babies will no longer be brutally murdered in red states. 

Now, the point of this post isn’t to debate abortion. It is rather to be an encouragement for those of us that find ourselves living in a red state in a post Roe v Wade world. What should we do? How do we honor God in this new season that our country is entering? 

1. Celebrate

The overturning of Roe v Wade is a huge deal. We should be thanking the Lord for His mercy and grace! We never had a constitutional right to abortion. The Supreme Court has now rightfully put the decision back in the hands of each individual state. This means that many, many unborn children’s lives will be spared. We should be thanking God that those of us who live in red states have laws in place that will prevent many unborn children from being murdered. I feel so blessed to live in a red state in a post Roe v Wade world. It breaks my heart what Governor Newsom is continuing to do in California in the wake of Roe v Wade being overturned. It is saddening to see other blue states and big corporations double down on their pro-abortion beliefs. 

We, as Christians, believe that ALL lives are valuable and precious. We believe that all people are worthy of life regardless of the situation that they may be born into. We believe in a sovereign God who knows us in our mother’s womb. He is the author of life.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” Jeremiah 1:5

I know, at times, it can feel hard to celebrate when you hear the noise of so many around you share a different view. However, I encourage you and I to be bold. May we celebrate this incredible mercy from the Lord. 

2. Speak Truth

I am naturally not a bold person. In fact, I would rather sit on the side lines. I don’t like to ruffle feathers. However, the Lord has been working in me the courage to be more bold. We are to live not by lies. We are to live by truth and sometimes that means correcting misinformation and calling out propaganda. There is a lot of misinformation flying around out in the world. Mainstream media and the voices of our culture do not offer clarity and truth. In fact, they offer the opposite.

We need to know the truth so that we can speak the truth. We need to understand history so that we can refute manipulation. Sometimes this means you engage in conversations on social media. Sometimes this means you start conversations with friends and family even when you know they may disagree. Sometimes this means remaining quiet and actively loving the people in your life and by doing so being a truthful example of a faithful Christian. There are a lot of great resources out there, but one that I have found very helpful is https://www.liveaction.org/

3. Teach Your Children

My husband and I sat down on Friday with our children and explained the historical significance of the Dobbs decision and Roe being overturned. They know a great deal about abortion already, but they asked some really great questions. I pray that the Lord will use our humble efforts to instill in our children from a young age that the brutal murder of an innocent life is never OK. It doesn’t matter the location of that life. I hope they grow up to be passionate about loving women and children in need. We need to teach the next generation. It’s our responsibility to model for them what being pro-life means, not just from a political standpoint but from a practical and Biblical standpoint. We need to know our history so that we can teach them the truth behind Planned Parenthood. We need to know the Bible so that we can teach them why life is valuable. 

I grew up in a pro-life family. My parents both volunteered at crisis pregnancy centers. From a young age, my parents not only taught me about the sanctity of life, but they actively lived out this belief. They weren’t just spouting Republican talking points. Actually, their position on abortion had very little to do with politics and very much to do with living out the Gospel. Their example created a passion in me from a very young age and the unwavering belief that ALL life is valuable. That is why it irks me so much when I hear the cries of people saying, “Ok church, it’s time to step up and do something now.” There have been faithful Christians that have been on the front lines loving women in crisis all along. 

Because of my parents’ example, when I was a teenager, I started volunteering at pro-life fundraisers. My first volunteer position was working in a crisis pregnancy center. I would fold cute little baby clothes. I would put together care packages for expectant mothers. While volunteering there, I met many women who were overwhelmed with gratitude for the compassion and resources provided for them while they were facing a crisis pregnancy. Their stories and their courage to choose life have stayed with me to this day. 

4. Get Involved

Living in a red state that no longer legally allows abortions means that there will be more women and children in need. We, as the church, need to fill that gap. Maybe that means you volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. Maybe that means you donate money. Maybe that means you foster or adopt. Whatever it means for you and your situation, I urge all of us to step up to the plate in whatever way we can. Let’s continue to do what the church, by God’s grace, does so well and continue to love women in crisis and families in need. 

One of my earliest memories of practically helping women in need, is of my mom picking up and driving pregnant women to their doctors’ appointments. These were women who had chosen life and had no other support. My mom stepped up to the plate. She would pray with them and then practically help them. She blessed them with friendship, compassion and meals.  This is the pro-life model that I had growing up.

As adults, we attended a church in California that is passionate about providing loving homes for children in foster care and providing forever homes through adoption for children who needed them. Our pastor and his wife were and still are an incredible example of this type of love. They were such a huge help and blessing to us in our foster care and adoption journey. And by God’s grace, He used my husband and I to be an encouragement and help to other families at our church who also chose to foster or adopt.

By the time we moved away last summer, the majority of families from our church were involved in foster care or had adopted children. What a beautiful picture of God using His church to help those in need. And what a blessing these children have been to us! I know we can all shout it from the rooftops: our children are worthy of life and we are blessed to have the privilege to love and raise them. 

I see the posts saying that if we cared about children, we would care about more than just them being born. I absolutely agree. I would just encourage you that there are many faithful Christians who are doing just that. I encourage these disgruntled on-lookers to stop slandering Christians because you have seen bad examples. Instead, join the fight and find ways to help.