It has taken me a few days to collect my thoughts and to finally sit down and attempt to put them on “paper.” There is so much more I could say about my time in Long Beach, but these seem to be the points that have impacted my heart, that I feel at liberty to share. Others I will keep treasured in my heart for a later time. One thing is certain, these race weekends are life changing….
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." -Colossians 3:17
Long Beach Marathon weekend was one of blessings and revelation. We arrived in Long Beach not quite sure what God was going to do, but certain this race was going to be like no other. Long Beach Marathon would be the first race in our 10 years of ministry that accepted us as a charity and had given us the opportunity to have a booth at the race Expo. We did not know how we would be received, but we knew that we were going to take advantage of this open door!
When the “field” is ripe for harvest there is no holding back the floodgates. That was our experience at Long Beach. People flooded our table with support and joined the cause. It was becoming apparent that abortion no longer holds the approval of the masses, as the truth of its destruction and tragic devastation is becoming more deeply understood by people who once rode the fence. It was an amazing experience and the way that the race allowed us the freedom to share and to promote was very unexpected, praise God!
There are things that will always stand out to me when I walk away from a team weekend and take time to reflect. Although there were many encounters, some good, some bad, they all showed me that God is moving in the hearts of the people and the devil is not happy about it. We may have been flipped off and some spit on, but we were also encouraged, high five’d and rallied around. Life matters, and people are not so eager to dismiss the value of the unborn any longer, the fight is reaching the hearts and minds of many, and silence is no longer an option!
On Saturday just as we planned to go pray at the Planned Parenthood, Judge Kavanaugh was voted in. Not only were we headed to the the front lines of our battle, but we were headed there when the pro-abortion advocates would most certainly be upset and possibly ready to retaliate. We headed prayerfully prepared to stand in silent, peaceful, protest in front of a place where innocent lives were ended each day and mothers left broken and families shattered. As we arrived we lined the sidewalk and began to pray. I watched as the security guard approached the window on the phone and my heart sank, knowing that the police were on their way and having no idea what that might mean for us. I do not believe that courage is the absence of fear, but the choice to stand in faith in the face of fear. I bowed my head and prayed, telling God that I would not be distracted by whatever might happen, that I would trust Him and I would pray until I was told I couldn’t stay. As the sound of many sirens of police cars drew closer, I kept my heart centered on praying for the women who felt they had no other choice and protection over the babies whose lives were in danger. The sirens came very close and I prayed that God would send Heavens angels armies to protect us, I wouldn’t know until the next day how amazingly God answered that prayer. The sirens stopped in the distance and we stood our ground and prayed for an hour. My heart was overcome by the sadness of such a place, I hated the way it bragged its presence with its tall building overshadowing everything on the block. It made me angry that the devil and his lies had reached so many, leading them only into a brokenness they could have never imagined. We finished our time in prayer, uninterrupted, and moved on to visit the Pregnancy Resource Center around the corner. What I found out the next day is that the police did show up, only the six cars came and blocked the road so that we could peacefully protest without altercation. God sent guardians, of that I have no doubt!
Race day was one that I was physically not prepared for. I have struggled so much to regain my fitness following my surgery, but my faith is not in my abilities but in how God will provide! I had the privilege of running with a very dear friend, and we promised to stay with each other for the whole race. During our run we read the Bible verses that my Fiji teammates wrote on my jersey out loud for all the hear. It was such an awesome time of pressing in and trusting God as we ran and prayed for others out loud and silently. As we entered into the beach stretch, miles 8-10, my body was exhausted. Anna told me that this was the most brutal point of the race in past years because there is no shade and the sun blazes down on you. As we stepped out into the “desert” God covered the sky with the thickest cloud. It was incredible. The sun didn’t shine again on us until we turned onto the shaded part of the course, the pillar of cloud had led us out of the heat and into the shade! The last 3 miles left me completely at the end of myself and it was then that God spoke to me with a powerful illustration. Along the final 3 mile stretch people from the community lined the streets with treats and encouragement. They were there because they wanted to be, most of them probably didn’t know a single runner. I saw ahead of me, a woman with a bowl of pretzels and my heart was encouraged! I thanked her as I took this much needed treat and her response was “my pleasure.” That act of selfless kindness didn’t cost her much, but it meant everything to me!
Now picture a different story, one where the weary runners hit the home stretch but instead of support they are met with “you will never make it” “just give up now” “jump in my car, ill drive you to the finish, no one will ever know.” Any form of negativity during an endurance race can destroy you. That is why people are there to cheer, because we all know that even one word of encouragement, one high five from a stranger, one act of kindness is all it takes to dig deep and press forward.
When we tell women in unplanned pregnancy that they should abort we are telling them that they can’t do it, that they aren’t good enough, that they are not able to rise above, that they are weak. Abortion is not an out, it may be a way to attempt to bypass a situation, but it's cost is astronomical and the life taken can not be brought back. Abortion does not empower women it cripples them, and telling someone to abort is not cheering them on, it is cutting them off at their knees! The pro-life advocates strive to cheer on women, to remind them of the strength they have forgotten. We want to encourage them to move forward and to not give up. Life is not a choice that you regret!
In the Pro-Life movement, we don’t just cheer the women on at a mile marker, if they are struggling we drop our signs and offer to run them home! For most of us, our relationship with the women we meet continues on through life. We are there after the baby is born and if the mother chooses, for the remainder of their lives! We know that it takes a village to get through the dark days and the struggle and that is what many of us offer, to become that village. We also don’t leave behind the women wounded by their past abortions, we lift them up and help them stand again so that they can move forward in their lives with regained hope in the Lord.
I don’t know what you have been through, or what you are preparing to face, but I can tell you that I along with my 9,000 teammates will be there to cheer you on, to pray for you, to walk with you, to encourage you and to never give up on you if you will let us! I will tell you a secret about long distance runners, we aren’t in it for the sprint, that is just the warm up! We are in it for the long haul, and if you will let us, we will see you to the finish and beyond! We choose love, we choose life, we choose to trust the details to God and to step out into the unexpected plan that He has written on all of our lives….
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,"
-Hebrews 10:24
