DAY 18: Never give up

Dear Mike,

It's Saturday, so you may find some unexpected
"guests" at the Days for Life vigil sites today. In
previous messages, I've mentioned some of the
abortion supporters who feel obliged to "challenge"
our prayer vigils, and Saturday seems to be the one
day of the week they find time to come out.

Sarah left a note on the 40 Days for Life blog that
sums up pretty well how to properly respond to these
highly vocal critics. "When I get ridiculed for
telling the truth, it only makes me pray more and
encourages me to tell the truth," she said. "Let's
never give up this good fight."

On a recent Saturday, a California abortion advocate
wrote in her blog that she went out to protest the
40 Days for Life vigil in Riverside. But when she
arrived, "I was told by the security guards that I
was the first counter protester they've seen this
whole two weeks!" She stayed for an hour and a half
and then gave up and went home.

The abortion groups and their supporters are driven
by ideology. The pro-life people are driven by faith.
There's no question that faith is stronger!

Please keep it up!

Speaking of Riverside, Pam -- one of the local
campaign leaders -- told me that volunteers for the
local 40 Days for Life participated in a community
Walk for Life, setting up a booth and distributing
pro-life information. "It was a great way to get the
word out and tell everyone about our midway event,"
she said. "There were 1,000 people at the park."

To see a picture of a few of the 40 Days for Life
team members in Riverside, go here:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=351

Rita expected company the first time she went to pray
at a 40 Days for Life vigil at a Planned Parenthood
facility. But she had none. No protesters, which was
good; but nobody else to pray with, which was at
first disappointing.

"I wished someone would come," she said, "but God put
it on my heart that it was a strong statement to see
one person, no picket signs, peacefully praying,
wearing a black shirt with bold white letters
spelling out, 'I Pray.' He was with me and that is
all that matters."

It was, to say the least, an emotional experience for
Rita, "especially when I thought about the fact that
behind those walls babies die a horrible death.
Afterwards, I held my one-month-old grandson and
wept."

Kelly in Southgate, Michigan said it's very rare for
the parking lot of the abortion center to be
absolutely empty on a Saturday, but that's exactly
what happened. The vigil participants were thankful
that no abortions were being done, and continued to
pray as planned.

But then a young, professionally-dressed woman pulled
up on the side street next to the vigil, parked her
car and approached quickly. She had her cell phone in
hand and started scrolling through the pictures on
her phone.

"I was here 10 years ago," she said. "I was going to
have an abortion. I mean I was in there and on the
table. But because someone like you was out here
praying, I just couldn't go through with it."

Then she found the picture she had been searching
for. "This is my son." There wasn't a dry eye among
the volunteers who were listening to her story.

"I just wanted to say thank you," she said. "What you
are doing here is SO worth it!"

As my family and I drive all across New England
visiting 40 Days for Life locations over the next few
days, we wanted to wish you a very blessed weekend!

What you are doing is indeed worth every moment,
every effort, every sacrifice.

Here's today's devotional from Randolph Sly of the
National Pro-life Religious Council...

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DAY 18 INTENTION
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We pray for a flowering of the joy of parenthood.

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SCRIPTURE
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Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the
fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the
hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's
youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of
them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with
their enemies in the gate.

-- Psalm 127:3-5

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REFLECTION by Randolph Sly
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I still vividly remember the day my first child was
born. As she came into the world I gazed upon the
most beautiful little baby I'd ever seen.

Later I was driving home from the hospital for a
shower and a fresh change of clothes when a song came
on the radio, "The Men in My Little Girl's Life" -- a
ballad about being a father as he watches his
daughter grow through childhood to womanhood.

I wept as I listened, knowing those years would go by
very fast... and they did.

Being a father, whenever I read the Psalm quoted
above I'm always captivated by one word - "heritage."
It basically means "something passed down from a
preceding generation."

That little girl I watched being born and wept for is
not mine to give to God like a product of our
fertility, but rather His, which he has entrusted to
us. So are all her siblings.

My wife and I share a great treasure: precious lives,
which are placed in our lineage that His life with us
might be perpetuated.

To the psalmist, this was a blessing from the
Lawgiver, God Himself, who blessed Israel with
another generation intended to continue their
covenantal promise.

For us in Christ, it is his gift of succeeding
generations for His Church and her families.

These days I'm looking upon my grandchildren, and
rejoicing that my children and their spouses will
pass on the greatness of Christ's gospel to them and
thus will continue the work of God in the world. What
a blessing. What a heritage!

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PRAYER
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Heavenly Father, please keep me from taking for
granted the gift of children. Help us to remember
this heritage that you have given us. Make us
faithful stewards of these precious lives, that each
generation might be raised in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord. We ask this through Jesus
Christ our Lord, Amen.

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PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
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To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends:

http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2009day18print.pdf

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For Life,

David Bereit
National Director
40 Days for Life