It appears that the nearly 50-year battle to overturn Roe v. Wade is coming to an end. Such a monumental moment is certainly worthy of some form of celebration as we move continually closer to a culture that values and esteems life at every stage and age. Many people have worked passionately and relentlessly to see the arrival of this day. No one can or should begrudge a moment of congratulatory affirmation to the many groups and people involved with such an accomplishment.
That said, there is a thin line between an appropriate fist-bump of congratulations for a job well done and the arrogant spiking of the Dobbs “reversal” decision in the cultural end zone. It is true that no one likes a sore loser; however, the only thing worse is an arrogant winner.
The NFL has a penalty rule which is called, “Excessive Celebration”. The referee throws a penalty flag when the player, after a successful play or score, celebrates in such a fashion as to appear to mock or taunt an opponent. It is considered not only poor sportsmanship, but a classless act to such a degree that your opponent is granted a tactical benefit by penalizing the successful team.
As I listen to all the event and celebration plans being considered by numerous prolife organizations to follow quickly after the (assumed) Dobbs decision, I cannot help but wonder if in a genuine excitement to celebrate years of hard work, it could be interpreted by the greater culture as arrogant celebration. Beyond that, is there any chance in our self-congratulatory exuberance, we could be ignoring I Peter 5:5-6 which reminds us,
“…Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time…”
The question may arise, “How might one know if their celebration is appropriate or excessive?”
Perhaps like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart suggested in 1964, as he considered how obscenity should be defined. His now-famous response was, “I know it when I see it.” What is excessive celebration? It may be equally hard to define, but my instincts tell me our society will know it if they see it. And should they see it, we shouldn’t be surprised that a metaphorical flag is thrown, and we are penalized as victors with our opponents benefiting.
As we await this remarkable, historical, and monumental decision, may I suggest three things which might help us (potentially) celebrate this moment appropriately.
- How we got here.
No one group, person, or strategy produced this moment. There were scores of organizations, hundreds of Prolife leaders, thousands of committed activists, and untold numbers of intercessors who partnered with the Spirit of God to produce this moment. The only way our wide and varied witness of Prolife activity could have coalesced to this moment is by the hand of the Lord Himself. Truthfully, 50 years was far too long for this atrocity to have been upheld. While we are grateful for this decision, our hearts should still break that the reality of this decision only means the battles and debates to end abortion now go to 50 different state capitols. I would suggest that before we chest-bump and “high-five” one another in this victory, we might hit our knees and seek God’s continued grace and favor in a spirit of repentance. Remember, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. This is a time to gather together humbly and seek His face again genuinely.
- A Humble Spirit
It was C.S. Lewis who said, “The truly humble man will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.” Perhaps the best celebration is one that keeps the attention off of us and focus again on the Lord and the plight of the preborn. I would suggest three key actions which would demonstrate that humility before the Lord and a watching culture. (1) Admit and recognize our own shortcomings, sins, and limitations; (2) Appreciating other’s strengths, deflecting credit, and giving it to others; (3) A willingness to learn and listen to others in the movement and becoming teachable in an arena where many think themselves experts.
- Honor God
I Corinthians 1:31 reminds us, “…He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” There is no other way to say it except to say, we cannot gloat or be arrogant winners. There cannot be taunting, boasting, belittling, or “smack-talk” found amongst us. We must choose our social media posts carefully lest we appear haughty or high-minded. It wasn’t WE who accomplished this. It was HE who brought this victory.
Let me take that thought one step further. As anathema as it might seem to some, perhaps we should suspend our Prolife marches for another time and instead let us call solemn assemblies. Instead of hitting the streets, perhaps it is more appropriate to hit our knees. Instead of stirring speeches, perhaps it is time for passionate intercession. Instead of instantly leveraging the political momentum, perhaps we should seek the “wind” of the Holy Spirit’s leadership.
I too will rejoice and marvel on the day of Roe’s reversal. I am not immune to the excitement I am sensing and the victory on the horizon. But I am measuring my celebration carefully.
In 2011, a Massachusetts high school lost a state championship game because a player raised his arm in triumph as he ran down the field for what would have been the go-ahead touchdown. It didn’t seem excessive to the player, but the referee saw it differently. That one act of a lack of self-restraint cost them the state championship.
Let’s not over-celebrate the day of Roe’s defeat and lose the final victory in both the eyes of a watching nation and more importantly, the eyes of the Lord.
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