“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” Philippians 4:4-5
At Joseph’s House we Rejoice in the Lord always, and we are continuing to rejoice with the recent Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. While we welcome the decision by the Supreme Court, we recognize and are keenly aware of the work that needs to be done to truly build a culture that respects the sanctity of life and the dignity of women. While this decision is a legal one, it makes more clear the need for cultural and moral progress in our society. New York is and by all accounts, will remain, a pro-choice state- the government has made that clear. At Joseph’s House, the greatest concern is about the women who exercise their freedom to choose to have their child. Much of society’s current focus seems to be directed to ensuring that the woman who chooses to terminate her pregnancy has options to do so- often argued that these options be completely unrestricted. What about the options and choices for a woman who chooses life? What about the woman worried about daycare costs, finishing school, finding a place to live? How much are we focusing on policies that create economic mobility and growth to support a family? How do we bring about change to meet the temporal, emotional, and spiritual needs of women who are facing an unplanned pregnancy? How can we ensure that no women is ever made to feel as though she has no choice but to seek an abortion? The verse above from Philippians gives us the answer “let your gentleness be known to everyone.”
Why would a woman seek to have an abortion? Often the fears and real consequences of bringing a pregnancy to term are insurmountable. We hear these concerns at Joseph’s House and work to find solutions every single day. Where and when can she obtain support for further education or job readiness programs? Where can she receive counseling and treatment for past traumas and experiences? Where can she make an honest, respectable wage where she can successfully raise a family, often by herself? Where can she work that will allow her the flexibility to deal with the challenges of sick children, snow days, and school breaks, without costing her wages or her job all together? Where can she learn to drive and get assistance acquiring a car so she can access these jobs, daycares and schools? Where can she live that is safe and secure and long-term? Where can she find hope and love? These fears and the natural consequences are real and we see them every day. The questions outnumber the answers and resources are often too few to come by.
If we want to create a culture that is truly pro-life- these are the questions we must ask. In a time where every tough conversation feels as if it’s a boxing match and each side must retreat to their corner, we should let our “gentleness be known to everyone.” We will only begin to find solutions to these fears if we can engage with one another to better understand the circumstances and challenges of another’s life. At Joseph’s House, we embody radical compassion, deep personal relationships, unbridled hope and refrain from allowing our own biases and judgments from clouding our service. We meet each resident where she is and embrace her as she is. Listening to her story as she prepares to write a new chapter. It’s a gentleness that allows a woman to experience unconditional love, unconditional love modeled and embodied in Christ’s love for each of us. How much could we all learn if we could embrace each person we meet with that same disposition, with that same radical compassion? How much could each of us help to change the culture if we could begin with ourselves? For life and for the unborn, Rejoice. For the continued work needed in our world, let your gentleness be known to everyone.
