Little White Crosses: A Follow Up

Little white crosses outside a local church.

A year ago, I wrote this post about the Little White Crosses that churches and Christian schools put in their lawns as a memorial to the thousands of children “killed” by abortions each year. If you haven’t read that post, I would encourage you to read it first so you understand where I’m coming from.

The crosses showed up again yesterday. Why? Because today is the National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. A day that is particularly painful for those of us who have had abortions.

Yesterday, when I drove past the little graveyard, I knew I needed to re-share my original post. 

Today, a brave woman told me that she DREADS this time of year. Why? Because of the little white crosses. 

I am horrified to think that the feeling of DREAD would be associated with anything or any place that represents Christ. 

HORRIFIED.

And yet, I share her dread. No matter how many years go by and how much I truly understand that I am a new creation in Christ who has been saved by the blood He shed on the cross, the pain associated with my abortion will never fully go away… at least not on this side of heaven.

But let’s be clear… I do NOT dread seeing those crosses because I feel shame. I HAVE NO SHAME BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN BY THE GOD WHO LOVES ME. No, I feel dread because there are men and women who have had abortions that do NOT know the love of Christ and will not step foot into a church because of those crosses.

I think reminders of where we have been are a good thing. They keep us focused on God and what He has done to pull us out of the pits we have created for ourselves. We NEED to be reminded that we cannot do this alone. We NEED Him. That’s why I have shared my story EVERY time He’s asked. Even when it’s embarrassing. Even when it’s painful. Even when I run the risk of being judged by man.

I remember seeing those crosses before I knew God’s grace. They were condemning and judgmental. They screamed, “Get away, you wretched sinner! You are NOT welcome here!”

I don’t think the people that put the crosses in the lawns are bad people. I just don’t think they comprehend the real message they are sending. It’s difficult to stand up for what is right in a loving way. And it’s easy to be more concerned with telling people they are wrong rather than loving them into a relationship with Christ.

I had a thought this morning… what if the sign read instead, “In honor of the thousands of men and women affected by abortion each year. May you know the love God has for you and may you find refuge and healing in this place of worship.”

Something.

Anything other than what it says.

If you agree with what I’ve said, would you please help take away the dread that comes with this time of year? Would you consider sharing these thoughts or your own? But I implore you, do it in the spirit in which it is intended and that is a spirit of love. Help me educate people about the message they are sending. I have every confidence that it is NOT the one they intended.

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Turn Off the News

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Since the Garden of Eden, mankind has had the insatiable longing for knowledge. So much so that it is what led to the entrance of sin into what was meant to be a perfect world.

Oftentimes we even claim that we are only seeking knowledge so we know how to appropriately pray for someone. It’s an ironic sentiment considering Romans 8:26-27:

Romans 8:26-27

New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

People, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we don’t know how to pray. Why do we lie to ourselves about this need to know the details?

As the news unfolded on Friday about the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, I became hysterical. I stood in front of the television crying… needing to know what happened. After all, I have a kindergartener. This could have easily been happening to me. I wanted to know every detail. Why? Because somehow I convinced myself that if I knew what happened, I could protect my babies better. Ridiculous, but a fairly normal reaction

My hysteria wasn’t helping anyone and I quickly realized I needed to turn the news off. But I still wanted to know… Periodically throughout the day, I checked the internet for updates. Each time reading a statement that made me cry. I mean seriously, there are no words to respond to this insanity. How have we become a society where school and other public shootings are commonplace? Isn’t this America… the leader of the free world? What is happening?

Yesterday, I came upon a statement made by Morgan Freeman about why he thinks this keeps happening. But the statement was so profound that I am finding myself sharing it with you on this somber Sunday morning.

“You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here’s why.

It’s because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single *victim* of Columbine? Disturbed People who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he’ll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.

CNN’s article says that if the body count “holds up”, this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer’s face on all their reports for hours.

Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer’s identity? None that I’ve seen yet. Because they don’t sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you’ve just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.

You can help by forgetting you ever read this man’s name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news.”-Morgan Freeman

So I implore you to turn off the news. Remember the victims. Let the Holy Spirit intercede with wordless groans as you pray. Pray for something to change.

**I have since learned that Morgan Freeman did NOT make this statement. Regardless, it's a statement that was thought-provoking enough to share. And I still believe we should turn off the news.

Little White Crosses

Little white crosses outside a local church.

I hate them. And I’m pretty sure Jesus isn’t a fan either. Why? Because although there are good intentions behind them, I don’t think they are the message He would want to get across. Let me explain…

If you’ve read my blog, you probably know that I had an abortion when I was 19. I also surrendered my life to Christ several years later. I openly talk about my experiences because I want people to know that no matter what they have done, there is nothing that can keep them separated from the love of God. His grace cannot only heal wounds, but it can enable people to live full lives in spite of the earthly consequences of the choices they have made. God’s love for us and the sacrifice Jesus made for us are beyond our understanding, yet they are freely available to everyone… everywhere.

That’s NOT the message those little white crosses send. Those crosses are a judgmental reminder that serves as a barrier keeping “sinners” from entering churches and meeting the Jesus that died for their sins.

I get that they are supposed to be a memorial for the babies that have died through abortion. But if people are really trying to honor the memory of those babies, shouldn’t they do whatever it takes to make the babies’ mothers want to go into those churches and meet Jesus? I promise you that those women are not likely to step over the silent little picket line to go inside because they assume that they are not welcome.

Abortion is an ugly issue. It is NOT a black and white one. And although there is no doubt in my mind that God hates it, there is also no doubt in my mind that He loves those who get and give abortions. Just like He loves liars, addicts, gossips, and people who are mean. While we live in this broken, messed up world, we need to figure out how to let Christ’s love be louder than our personal dislike of other people’s sins.

Take down the crosses.

Little White Crosses: A Follow Up

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