“I guess that’s the opposite of what we’re trying to do.”
I can’t get those words out of my head. So thoughtless and, no doubt, stemmed from fear and the inconvenience this young man felt he was facing.
It was a hot muggy day. A Tuesday. I was meeting with our Client Services Director to go over the upcoming calendar of events and training for the Parenting Center. There was a knock at the back door which leads to our Mommy Mall. When I answered it, a young woman was standing there and the heat from the day was fighting the cold A/C as I welcomed her inside. Following behind her was a young man holding an energy drink.
She told me she had an appointment to see a nurse. I explained that they had come to the wrong door, but no worries I would take her to the clinic entrance to see the nurse. As we turned to go back out the door I gestured to the room we were exiting and told them all about the Mommy Mall and Parenting Center and how moms and dads are supported through their pregnancy and parenting journey. That’s when he said it.
“I guess that’s the opposite of what we’re trying to do.”
It stung my heart and chilled me to the core even though the temperature outside was well into the 90s. And the weight of that statement has stayed with me much like the weight of the humidity in South Georgia.
It brought me back to the days I had spent in front of some abortion mills praying and pleading with women to turn around. I had heard some pretty vile and nasty things in those days. Insults directed at me and my friends, the church, and terrible, nonchalant phrases about killing babies were to be expected in that kind of environment.
But it’s been a while, and those centers were usually in very liberal, metropolitan cities, so I wasn’t prepared to hear such callousness here in small-town South Georgia.
I was grateful that they were following behind so that they could not see the pain on my face and all three of us were pretty determined to get out of the heat and back into the A/C, so I prayed a silent prayer and said simply, “We’ll let God see about that.”
I have been praying for them, and whatever the outcome, we should not interfere with God’s plan for us as parents. God instituted the family to provide protection and provision for women and children.
Join me in praying for the young dads in our community. Strong families are the backbone of strong communities, and we need resilient men who, instead of shying away from challenges, will boldly lead and guide their families with unwavering God-centered wisdom and confidence.
