Life is full of surprises. Life, itself, is a surprise on so many levels. We still don’t fully understand it all. There are those who amusingly debate the scientifically confirmed fact that we all begin at conception. Others argue that some of us aren’t persons depending on our age and geography. You know, because that argument always ends well. And when our elected leaders in the federal government fail to act to protect the first right, Life, they’ve failed this great nation. We’re constantly told we’re a nation of immigrants. Yes, we are. And I love that. But we’re a nation of people, all with the same exact residence for nine months of our lives as we miraculously form in the wombs of our mothers.
Every human is a person. Every person is a human. It’s really that simple. When we veer from this, we get it wrong. Dead wrong. It reminds me of the tragedy that has befallen many states across the country as the majority of voters in states like Missouri demanded to enshrine killing their posterity as a state constitutional right.
Show me, pro-abortion Missouri, how this is any different than the fight against slavery. People of my complexion were property then. Unborn people of any hue are property now.
Human history is so circular. I remember standing beside the Dred and Harriet Scott statue in St. Louis’ Gateway Arch National Park. Dred Scott – a slave who sued for his freedom – was deemed to be property, not a person. The Supreme Court, as is the case way too often, was supremely wrong. Yet, ironically with the vast majority of Black votes, Missouri decided in 2024 that another group of human beings do not deserve the protections of the Constitution. Amendment 3, which erased the state’s abortion ban and all pro-life protections, passed by a slim margin: 51.6% to 48.4%. The most vulnerable are once again property, not persons.
Even some Black “ministers” protested the state’s ban on abortions. One clergy member, Rev. Traci Blackmon, absurdly proclaimed: “Challenging Missouri’s abortion ban was an expression of my faith, which calls us to defend the dignity and autonomy of all people.” Well, not all people…just the ones with born privilege. Blackmon is a minister of the warped social justice gospel and a member of the constitutionally challenged Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She says: “My God is a God of choice.” God says, in His own words, that He “hates the shedding of innocent blood.” We have free will. That doesn’t translate into having a license to freely kill.
And we wonder why it took so many churches so long to denounce the obvious evil of slavery. Same theological wrongs. Different century.
A few days ago, a Missouri judge struck down most of the state’s abortion restrictions in light of the passage of Amendment 3 back in November.
I’m grateful for the tireless efforts of pro-life organizations, the Catholic Church, Missouri Baptists, and other Christian leaders who tried to awaken the public’s conscience. I’m heartbroken that it just wasn’t enough. It was nearly impossible to be heard over all the disinforming noise from news media, Planned Parenthood and millions of out-of-state dollars. The pro-abortion side outraised the pro-life side $31 million to $5.5 million. There’s certainly no scarcity of funds for the side that celebrates the violence of abortion and believes we’re not created equal.
It's Christmas, and it’s impossible to ignore the essence of this worldwide sacred holiday. It’s all about a baby who was not humanly planned. And He upended and changed the world.
A few years ago, I wrote a song about the greatest (humanly) unplanned story ever told. It’s found in this video entitled “Stronger”. In a world that simultaneously reveres a baby full of promise in a manger as it rejects a baby full of promise in the womb, these lyrics speak to the God-given purpose we all have, planned or unplanned:
We have purpose
There’s a reason why we’re here
Sometimes it takes a miracle
For God to make it clear
We have choices
We have the power to decide
Whether we pursue our destiny
Or let it die inside
Stronger than you ever ever knew
You are stronger than you ever ever knew
No matter what would ever come at you
You’re stronger, stronger
The shortened version for the video then cuts to these words that I hope speak encouragement to anyone facing an unplanned pregnancy (get help here) in our nation’s capital, Missouri or any of the other forty-nine states of this great nation.
God makes impossible, possible.
God makes impossible, possible.
This is the Good News that is meant for all of us. Politics will always be in a state of chaos, because humanity is always in conflict with the Creator. But we can have peace in knowing that in the middle of all the cultural confusion, God is the compassionate constant. His love can change any circumstance, even those unexpected ones that cause us to embrace fear instead of faith. I was “unplanned”. My wife’s first child, now my adopted daughter, was “unplanned.” Our youngest son, Justice, was “unplanned” too but adopted and loved. Yes. Life is full of surprises. It’s why my creed is this: Some of the best things in life are “unplanned.”
Merry Christmas! And may you know the love of the Savior who knit you together in your mother’s womb.