Was there ever a time when you felt very strongly about a particular conviction and all of a sudden you began to realize that you were surrounded by a large number of people that felt quite differently?

When guest blogger Sean Miller heard this story from his friend, Anne, he knew he had to write about it. Sean is from New Jersey and is well known for his prolife activities in Rockland and Bergen counties. He has provided some of the powerful banners displayed during the 40 Days for Life this spring and at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Pearl River. We hope you enjoy his posting.  

THE POWER OF ONE
By Sean Miller

Was there ever a time when you felt very strongly about a particular conviction and all of a sudden you began to realize that you were surrounded by a large number of people that felt quite differently?

Soon your vigor becomes lukewarm as your lips close before the dreadful possibility that you will be met openly with disdain and scorn.  An inward battle takes place between courage and fear.

The voice of courage urges you to speak because “fear” is a coward that tries to discourage us. You find yourself restless with being silent as you pray for strength. Deep inside, you know you must speak out, and you must do so with conviction and compassion.

One day a brave 16-year-old girl found herself in this exact situation quite unexpectedly.

It happened in school. The topic was abortion. The teacher asked for a show of hands when she asked the class collectively, “Who here is Pro-Choice?”

Twenty of the students raised their hands without hesitation and perhaps without much thought either.

However, there was one hand that did not rise.

When the teacher asked who was anti-abortion, one hand solely raised up against the popular tide. This brave little hand rose up into the air as if to say, “I represent all the tiny hands of the babies in the womb.”

And as her hand rose … so did her voice! She simply stated the truth that we are talking about a baby and that life must be protected and cherished.

At first, her classmates were not convinced, and it was clear that they were ignorant about what takes place in the womb for 9 months. They simply were unaware of the scientific evidence that has shown us that a baby has a heartbeat at 20 days. This fact and many others the 20 students learned about over the course of the next few weeks.

This brave student explained that the little baby in the womb has a right to life just as much as any of us do. In fact, since the baby has no defenses and no voice, we have a moral obligation to defend him or her and to support couples by encouraging them to choose life for their baby.

She also made the point that this topic can be discussed as a “human rights” issue. She wanted to make it clear because individuals that tend to be “pro-choice,” have a habit of attempting to make this a “religious issue,” when, in fact, it can be spoken about on a purely scientific level. The journey that we all make through the womb is fascinating, and if people took the time to discover the miracle of life that is growing within during these 9 months, abortion would not even be a consideration.

Did the voice of this brave soul fall on deaf ears?

Thankfully, no, and it was evident by the response of her classmates.

The 20 classmates that had declared themselves as being “pro-choice,” received a tutorial on life in the womb from their classmate. Now, 14 out of the 20 classmates have had a change of heart and call themselves “Pro-Lifers.”

On that very “regular” school day, a voice did speak and it spoke on behalf of millions of voiceless babies. That brave, young woman is named Bari.

What would have happened if Bari chose to be silent? What would have happened if Bari got intimidated by her classmates? What would have happened if Bari decided to take the easy way out?

If Bari remained silent, 20 of her peers and her teacher would never have learned about the beauty of life in the womb. Now, 14 other individuals can be a voice for the voiceless thanks to Bari.

Personally, I have been inspired by Bari, and when her grandmother, Anne, told me this story I was highly enthused and knew immediately that I needed to write about it.

Bari is a brave soul and we live in times that are in great need for such souls. By her example, she has showed us that by conviction and compassion even the most hardened hearts can melt and embrace the truth about life. People hunger for the truth even when they appear disinterested.

As a “people of life,” we need to speak up! We need to pray for the courage to speak and the grace to do it with love. We never need to feel insecure or unsure about ourselves. This is God’s work and He will supply the words for us. We only need to calmly and patiently be witnesses to the truth … about Life!

The heart of our message is that life is a gift, a celebration … a great cause for joy! As we defend life let us do it with great joy and peace.

One day, a high-school teacher asked a question that would radically change the way her students would think forever. Yet, the students were not so much changed by the question, but instead by the answer of one.

Special Thanks to Bari!

If you would like be a guest blogger on this site and share a prolife experience that was meaningful to you, please send it to RocklandRTL@optonline.net. We would love to publish it. It may be edited for length and style.

Here are two similar stories we have published this year:

Sean Miller — Very Much Alive (1/31/13)

Carolynn Pappalardo — Hope Springs Eternal (2/1/13)