Let's Stand For Life
The delicate pasque flower arrives in early spring and is usually one of the very first flowers to reveal itself after the winter. Over the next weeks it will face numerous snow storms and constantly changing weather, but somehow it has adapted to this dramatic environment. Though seemingly delicate, it is one of the hardiest flowers to be found.
Photo © copyright by Erik Stensland.
(Note, this is not a partisan political post, but just the opposite. Please read to the end.)
I know that there are many who follow my daily posts who would consider themselves to be pro-life. I wish that all of us were pro-life in the fullest sense of the word, for all life is precious: the life of the unborn, the life of the young pregnant girl who finds herself afraid and alone, the life of the refugee who has nowhere to call home, the life of the poor who feel a sense of desperation and helplessness, the lives of those who feel on the outside, who feel different, untrusted and disliked, those dealing with illness, those who suffer abuse, those who are overlooked and all those across our planet who yearn for peace. They all are of immeasurable value and each of us must embrace them and care for their well-being as our brothers and sisters.
Beyond these, if we are truly pro-life, we must recognize that we humans are not the only life on this planet. We are part of a much larger whole and yet our actions and policies imply that we alone matter. We must realize that we have a responsibility to love and care for life on our world which has no voice and no protection from us. We must act on behalf of the hundreds of species which are rapidly disappearing due to our lack of care or even awareness. We must recognize that the waters which once thrived with life just a few decades ago are in crisis across our nation and our planet due to our increasing pollution. We must stand up and speak out for the protection of our wild lands which are meant to protect life but are now being viewed with the eyes of fleeting profit. Who will protect this life if we don't?
To be pro-life is not about supporting one political system or another. Neither of them have all the answers. We must pledge our allegiance to Life and promote the well-being of all. This requires challenging our political systems and our leaders. It means breaking our political blinders and the limiting boxes of our parties. To be pro-life is to promote the well-being of all who share this planet with us.
