Experience has taught me you can expect a few different things to happen while attending church the Sunday before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Your pastor is bound to bring up the significance of the upcoming twenty-four hours and possibly share a nice quote or two to honor Dr. King. If you have a church like mine, you may have watched a tribute video vividly depicting a time when racism and segregation ran rampant, the fight for equality and justice, and showing how the man we were getting ready to celebrate impacted it all.
Yesterday morning, I found myself sitting on the fourth row of my sanctuary watching a video similar to the one previously described.
My eyes were glued to the screen; I didn’t want to miss a thing. After about two minutes of amazing footage, I began to get slightly distracted by the woman sitting in the row directly in front of me.
She was an older African American lady who appeared to be in her 70′s.
I could see just enough of her face to realize she was deeply impacted by the scenes that were being displayed on the screen. Wondering if she had participated in any of the marches or protests, I was momentarily distracted. Recognizing part of Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech booming from the sound system quickly brought me back to reality and I began to watch the woman again.
She turned to her family sitting beside her and whispered excitedly, “I was there! I was in the crowd that day!” Tears were streaming down her face.
As she wiped them away, I was reminded of an illustration that I’ve heard Lou Engle use several times when paralleling the fight for equality to the fight to end abortion. He spoke of older people, like this older woman, who may have only had one chapter in their life they could look back on with pride. But during that one particular chapter, they know they were able to make a significant difference and go down in the history books of Heaven as people who helped shift the spiritual and physical trajectory of a nation.
Whether they were specifically recognized on Earth or not.
It’s the exact same way with this fight to end abortion. I believe now, more than ever, that I WILL see abortion ended in my lifetime. I’m looking forward to the day when a National Day for Life is recognized and someone makes a tribute video for the men and women who’ve fought tirelessly to see this injustice ended.
I could care less if my name goes down in the history books here as an activist or if I’m both nameless and faceless. But I WILL know there was a chapter in my life that I prayed and walked with a group of women to see the ending of abortion and please the heart of my Father.
Maybe one day in my 70′s I’ll have the privilege of watching a tribute with tears streaming down my face and say, “I was there! I helped make a difference and change history!” I can’t wait for that day.
LaSondra Spears is a spoken-word artist from Dallas, TX and serves as Captured’s blog coordinator. She is also on staff with The One Movement, a full-time student, and a campus missionary. Chosen as one of thirty-nine women in the Back to Life Movement, she wants to see a marriage of righteousness and justice and longs for the day that abortion is ended and revival is spread throughout America. Her desire is to see youth and women step into the calling on their life and realize their worth and the authority they have. She enjoys writing, spending time with friends, and traveling.