This year’s Sanctity of Human Life falls on Sunday, January 19th – the 47th anniversary of the passing of Roe v. Wade. A mark in history when abortions were legalized nationwide. People around the United States will use this day to celebrate God’s gift of life, honor the many lives lost to abortions, and continue to devote themselves to protect human life. Unfortunately, there will also be many people who continue to support and believe abortion is the more compassionate, responsible answer for an unwanted, inconvenient, or imperfect child. How do you explain to someone why all human life is sacred? The answer to this question goes back to the very beginning of time…
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:26-27)
I didn’t read any stipulations, did you? Nowhere does it say that God created only healthy “wanted” men and women in his image. There is nothing that says men and women with special needs or other limitations are not included. Or that a stable home life, a certain amount of money in the bank, or a specific race is needed to meet the requirement to be created in God’s image.
Picture this, pretend you were sitting at a table with two sonogram images in front of you. By simply looking at the two, would you be able to tell someone which one was a planned pregnancy, and which one was not? Which one came from a drug addicted father while the other was prayed and prepared for? You wouldn’t be able to tell. You wouldn’t even be able to tell their eye color, skin tone, or hair texture. We do not have the ability to pick and choose who we see as made in the image of God when answer is all. Every life is precious, and God has uniquely created each of us with purpose.
Thousands of people will be joining together to March for Life in Washington, DC on January 24th. This one-day event will showcase the legal history and key pro-life leaders. It’s always a beautiful sight to see the amount of people that come out and show their support for Life and the future for the unborn. Even if you can’t make it to such an event, there are other things you can do in honor to celebrate and support LIFE!
5 Things You Can Do to Celebrate Sanctity of Life Sunday
- Choose Life: God gives us each the choice between life or death and urges us to “choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Each day you can choose life by being mindful of what you say, read, watch, study, listen to, support, and participate in to make sure it promotes life and not death.
- Teach Your Children About Life: It’s never too early to teach our children about the sanctity of the unborn. Read Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss. This story is about an elephant named Horton who hears a noise and discovers there’s a colony of “Who’s” living in a dust speck. He rescues them and receives mocking from a kangaroo who thinks Horton is a fool for trying to save something that doesn’t exist. A wonderful line from this book says: “Should I put this speck down? … If I do, these small persons may come to great harm. I can’t put it down. And I won’t! After all, a person’s a person. No matter how small.” Have your child describe how this is true for unborn babies, too!
- Feed Your Spiritual Life: Sanctity of Human Life Sunday would be a great morning to accept that church invitation your neighbor has extended that you’ve continuously turned down. Give it a shot! Even if you’re still feeling uncertainty… It’s an awesome opportunity to stand beside others who support and believe that all life is precious and valuable. What an amazing way to honor the unborn and their Creator with praise.
- Celebrate Life Events: Pregnancies, births, birthdays, and anniversaries all deserve a little dancing and recognition. Use these opportunities to make someone else feel valuable. Celebrate the people God has called you to do life with and look for ways to care for people who may feel forgotten. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to celebrate life’s little occurrences and how much others will appreciate a kind gesture. Likewise, mourn miscarriages and deaths and make an effort to cherish life at every stage. Matthew 5:4 says: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
- Speak Up for Life: Don’t assume people understand important issues related to the sanctity of life. You can speak up for life by rallying in numbers and writing letters to our leaders at local and national levels when it comes to protecting the lives of the unborn. You can also speak up for life in a more subtle way by lovingly guiding a Planned Parenthood minded woman or man who is in need of services to a life-affirming pregnancy center instead. These life-affirming pregnancy centers, such as Pregnancy Resources at Cornerstone, quickly sprouted up nationwide after the passing of Roe v. Wade. They are known for offering real, tangible, sustaining, and life-giving hope and help to those facing unexpected and, in many cases, unwanted pregnancies.