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Children are at stake in every abortion. And children
remind our culture of what we are losing in every
abortion — our innocence and our future.

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

If you’re wondering about bringing the kids to the
40 Days for Life vigil — yes! Please do — based on
the location, of course; parents should use their
best judgment. But children always remind people of
what this is all about.

That’s the theme of a short story that Bethany in
North Carolina posted on the 40 Days for Life blog.
Here’s what she wrote:

After I packed up my children, ages 2-and-a-half and 5,
and began driving to the clinic for my morning prayer
hour, I wondered if I should have made some sort of sign
to hold. It was spitting rain, so I hoped to park as
close as possible to the vigil site, in case I needed
to keep the children in the car.

By the time I got there, it had cleared enough that I
felt comfortable putting my children in the double
stroller. There were two other prayer volunteers on
site, including one who is a year-round sidewalk
counselor.

We greeted each other and I parked the children on the
sidewalk across the street from the clinic.

The children and I and began to pray by singing very
softly: a couple decades of the rosary, “Jesus Loves
the Little Children,” “He’s Got the Whole World In His
Hands,” etc. And then I noticed something unusual.

In the middle of the parking lot stood one of the
volunteer escorts, instead of keeping post on the steps
like normal. She was an older woman, and I could tell
by her stance and the way she kept looking at me that
she was not happy about our presence. We just kept
praying and singing.

I saw the woman go back to the steps and speak to one
of the other escorts, and I had the distinct impression
that I was being ridiculed. About 10 minutes later, the
woman removed her escort vest and went to her car,
shaking her head my direction. I steeled myself for
a confrontation and prayed for wisdom.

Sure enough, the woman paused at the parking lot exit
with her window rolled down. “As a grandma,” the woman
said, “it breaks my heart to see those children out
here like that.” And then she drove off, without
giving me a chance to respond.

As I exchanged thoughts with the other prayer
volunteers, I occurred to me that the sign I had
belatedly wondered about making for my prayer hour
had already been made — my little children. They were
all the sign needed to speak for life!

Please pray for that clinic escort, that her heart
would break, not for children singing happily in the
drizzling rain, but for the countless babies dying
inside the abortion clinic.

Pray that she will acknowledge them as the persons
they already are, children who lead us to sing on their
behalf because they will likely not be given the chance.

Day 15 - March 7

Intention:

Pray that we will not become defeated by the enemy's attacks but rather call on the name of the Lord who is on our side and our help in time of trouble.

Scripture:

What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger. Praise the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear us apart! Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

-- Psalm 124:2,3,6,8

Reflection:

The enemy attacks in many ways, but one of his favorites is to slander us with hopes of tarnishing our reputation and character, and ultimately to defeat our good work for the Lord. It is interesting to note however that it is usually not the slander that causes harm to our testimony, but our response to the slander. Proverbs 24:10 says, "If you faint in the day of adversity your strength is small."

So if we are applying God's truths to our lives moment by moment, we are not swayed by the lies of the enemy and we will be strong.

Standing on the front lines, armed with God's truth, places you in the battlefield for the mind. As you are prepared to present words of love, for the sake of the unborn and for the distraught and confused women and men who are entering the abortion facilities, know that the enemy has prepared his forces to attack your mind.

Unkind words from a protester, or vicious lies in the local paper about who you are and what your mission is, can indeed be hurtful. But rather than give in to defeat, that is the time to shine for the Lord, standing firm, as you call on Him to defeat the enemy.

Remember the words of Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Let's stand strong for those who need us most.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, help us to ignore the verbal attacks of the enemy and instead turn to You, our refuge and strength. Help us to find shelter in the blessed promises and provisions of Your Word. Thank you that no enemy can defeat us, and we praise You knowing that nothing can separate us from Your love. In the name of Jesus, we come to You, amen.

Carmen Pate
40 Days for Life board of directors