At our Victory Celebration last fall, 40 Days for Life National Director David Bereit shared his view that we had reached a “tipping point moment” in our society. Maybe some of us have read the book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell, which highlights the moment when the balance of victory shifts to one side or the other...
...Perhaps the opponent has run out of snowballs, lost a good public opinion, or just can’t get enough man-power, while the winning team has gained forces, won arguments, or happened to throw enough snowballs so that the enemy is put on the defensive. The battle is not yet won, but there is now a good chance of victory for the winning soldier, so long as he press his advantage, and move forward to win the war.
We are engaged in a spiritual warfare that has already been won for the better. However, we must still fight many battles here on earth. We do not fight “against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers” (Ephesians 6:12), “against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This battle is played out in individual hearts and souls, and becomes evident in the trends of society, in cultural and political events. We can therefore be encouraged by recent developments which give us reason for hope:
- The percentage of Americans who call themselves pro-life has risen to 51%, while those who believe abortion should be legal under any circumstance is down to 22%.
- Former abortion facility manager Abby Johnson’s book, UnPLANNED, which highlighted the importance of peaceful vigil and God’s grace, as well as the corruption of Planned Parenthood, reached #8 on Amazon Best-Sellers, and sold out Ignatius Press the day it was released.
- Subsequent videos from Live Action, with over 642,000 views on YouTube, brought renewed public attention to the shameful atrocities of Planned Parenthood, and three weeks later Congress voted to defund it.
- Among many other stories, Kermit Gosnell’s “house of horrors” in Philadelphia, and his arrest for 8 counts of murder, including one woman and 7 infants, shocked the nation, and just one week ago, the Virginia legislature voted to regulate abortion facilities, a move predicted by NARAL Pro-Choice VA to close up to 17 of the 21 VA facilities.
- I could continue, but last and not least, 40 Days for Life will be held in 247 communities this spring, coast to coast in America and in eight other countries as well - a jump of 47% from last spring!
40 Days for Life here in Alexandria, which has the second highest teen pregnancy rate in VA, is important not only for our own community, but for the pro-life movement as a whole. As an example, 40 Days for Life in Manassas, which had been struggling to continue, recently took inspiration from efforts in other communities, and today is hosting an impressive array of state and pro-life leaders at their Kickoff, to launch their renewed and enthusiastic campaign efforts. We all affect each other, and we must keep this momentum going!
So thank you so much for coming to our rally today, and for your commitment to 40 Days for Life this spring! Let’s join whole-heartedly in prayer and fasting, to show our love and support for the unborn, and carry God’s love and mercy throughout our community! Yesterday as I was hitting one of the last doors before our kickoff today, I noticed a little sign: “To the world, you might be just one person, but to one person, you might be the world.” So let’s get going, even though this is a tough battle, because we are tough -- and loving -- people, and with God’s help, we can make a difference!
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