It’s been a cloud-y week in our home! Last weekend, Clouds premiered on Disney Plus. I first heard about Zach Sobiech’s story when I read his mom’s book Fly A Little Higher 6 years ago. This week Jon (and Jackson) covered Zach’s song that inspired the movie. Click here to check it out on YouTube!

We decided to have a giveaway in honor of Clouds! We are so thankful for our readers, listeners, and supporters!! Stay tuned on our Instagram pages to learn how to enter (Jon Wright Music & My Race To Run). For now, here’s what we’re giving away:

Grand Prize ($83 value):

• Clouds: A Memoir by Laura Sobiech
• $10 Amazon gift card to purchase A Firm Handshake’s MP3 Album
• Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund Pendant
• Mary Oliver quote / Wood House Sign (with cloud background)
• Cloud Socks
• Cloud Bookmark

Runner Up Prize ($30 value):

• “Be A Peaceful Cloud” and Other Life Lessons from Bob Ross
• Bob Ross Cloud Socks

For more on Zach’s story, or to make a donation to his Osteosarcoma Fund, go to https://childrenscancer.org/zach/.

One of my favorite quotes from the movie is by Mary Oliver: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

It’s an honor to write to you weekly, and my goal is always to encourage you. This week, I’m getting a little political, so please be kind and stick with me.

Typically I try to stay out of politics and keep my opinions to myself. I don’t understand how a lot of government things work, so I often feel unqualified or too uneducated to comment.

Sometimes I wonder if those with an opinion are loudest, while those with a story are quiet. Abortion is a hot topic, and I feel like a lot gets lost when we only look at it from an angle of “Pro-Life” or “Pro-Choice.”

Today, I want to share a sliver of my story. I’m hesitant for numerous reasons, but my heart is that you would pause and listen. Reflect. And maybe don’t respond right away. This is just one story; there are countless more out there, and they deserve to be heard.

I believe there is more to this election than abortion, and I think it’s time that Christians start reflecting Jesus to the lost and broken world. (For more on this topic, this video from Phil Vischer really opened my eyes. I hope you’ll watch it all the way through.)

P.S. If you’ve ever had an abortion, or thought of it, there is no judgment here. There is grace. You are loved, and God will turn all things to good for those who love Him.

P.P.S. Please don’t read any of this in an angry tone. Passionate? Yes! Frustrated? Maybe a little. Mean? No; that’s not my intention.

❤

Have you ever walked a day in my shoes?

Have you ever felt so unloved that you’d do just about anything to have some semblance of worth?

Have you ever had an unplanned pregnancy?

Have you ever become a statistic as a pregnant teen?

Have you ever considered having an abortion?

Have you ever been sent the research and information on the RU486 pill from a loved one?

Have you ever been encouraged to give your “mistake” up for adoption?

Have you ever felt the shame that your action caused your family?

Have you ever attended a Christian purity conference after you decided to stop sinning, only to find out virgins were highly esteemed and anyone else was deemed less than, further from the Father? Unworthy to wear white? And you sat in your chair, your secret burning inside, and ironically a baby had already begun to grow in your womb and you wouldn’t find out for a few more weeks?

Have you ever? Have you? I have.

I know what it’s like to have an unplanned pregnancy outside of marriage.

I know what it’s like to be a teen considering abortion.

I know what it’s like to be a 4.0 Senior with an acceptance letter to the one college she applied to, and later an almost full-ride scholarship for the first year, only to turn it down and choose to stay with my child, my family and community of believers.

I didn’t choose abortion, but that doesn’t make me better than someone who did.

It may seem like I made a better choice to you, but any of my options were hard in their own way. None of this was easy, or has been since.

Why are we trying to impose our religious beliefs on some who are unbelievers? Are we loving them to Jesus or pushing them away with our agenda?

Who are we to decide which human life gets to be upheld and protected under our own personal convictions? God loves ALL – not just the unborn.

We all have a story. An opinion. A perspective. A filter. An experience. One is not more important or valuable than another. Every one’s matters. Everyone matters.

That unborn baby that I decided to keep? He turns 16 this week. His life is precious; I’m not denying that. It was valuable in the womb, and it’s valuable today. Uniqueness and all. Medical diagnoses and all. Hardship and all. Hurt and all. I can’t imagine my life without him. God turned my sin into a blessing and brought salvation to my heart through this child.

But do you know who else’s life is precious? Breonna Taylor. And she is unjustly gone.

I don’t know what it’s like to be a person of color. I don’t know what it’s like to be on the other side of white privilege. But the narrative of hate must end.

How can love win if hate is on the throne?

How can you decide if a life in the womb is more valuable than a life outside of it? If Jesus is on the throne, life is life. Love is love.

Maybe the people who should be sharing their thoughts are those who’ve considered abortion or had an abortion. Maybe the rest of us should try listening for a while. Learning. Leaning in.

Maybe we should hear from those whose children have been taken too early at any stage of life.

Elijah. My son. He’s a little different, he has a list of medical problems, but he’s got the biggest heart. A life that could have been ended before it was even born.

Another Elijah. Elijah McClain. Health conditions. Loved music. Died after an encounter with police. Someone’s son. Gone too soon.

This could happen to my son someday; he doesn’t always think through his actions to the possible consequences. But even if it did, he would most likely be shown more grace and patience because he’s white.

This is not right.

Some people, some Christians, are standing on a soapbox, putting everything into this one issue: abortion … while the world around them is going up in flames and innocent lives of all ages are being ended.

What is sanctity of life if not for all life?

Maybe too many people are weighing in that have never faced the reality of abortion. Maybe it’s time we get off our manmade soapbox and take a walk in someone else’s shoes.

Maybe we’re mixing religion and state too much. Imposing our beliefs on the government as a whole… is that its purpose?

Are we rating sin? Are we playing judge?

Are we saying God condemns abortion but overlooks hate and racism?

Are we putting our hope in a vote, in a Presidential election, in a party, in a platform?

I am a Christian. In a broken world. In a country that has strayed from its flawed founding fathers.

I am not pro-abortion. I am anti-abortion for me, and pro-choice for others. I’m not their judge. I hope to be an advocate and help, a cheerleader – not a condemning judge. I hope to be a support to people, no matter where they are in their journey.

Let’s all get better at sharing our stories and our lives, not just our opinions. Let’s own our space; sometimes that means keeping your thoughts in your space, not someone else’s. Let’s get better at filling other people’s hearts and minds with encouragement, not harshness. Let’s build each other up, not tear each other down.

Today is a good day to choose life. To celebrate life. Unborn lives, black lives, all lives.

Today is filled with opportunities to discover what you’re passionate about and how you’re going to shine in this dark world.

I love how Zach said it: “You don’t have to find out you’re dying to start living.”

Wake up. Rise up. Live your life. Make it beautiful. Let it shine. Bring glory to God. Offer grace to others.

Celebrate life – the present, the eternal, and everything in between.