Have you ever noticed that for most of our youth, adolescence, and young adulthood, we eagerly approach a birthday as one step closer to freedom, one step closer to that milestone to drive (16 yrs) to vote (18 yrs), to drink (21 yrs) or to rent a car on our own (25 yrs)? And then suddenly, somewhere along the way, birthdays become burdensome as they are an annual reminder that we are not getting any younger, although we desperately wish we could? I’ve always been perplexed by some people who don’t want to celebrate their birthday at all, as if by the very act of not celebrating, they will not age.

Birthdays are an amazing day, no matter how old or young we are. And we should enjoy celebrating them with our families and friends, every year!

However, birthdays aren’t just a day in which we ONLY celebrate ourselves; it is also a day to say thank you to our Mom for choosing life. Moms who give birth to their sons and daughters are remarkable heroes. And they always will be. Even if your mom is the most pro-life person you know. Even if you escaped an abortion and were adopted. The fact that your Mom gave birth, means she deserves gratitude and respect. I mean, think about this. We exist because our Mom uttered one word, one word spelled Y.E.S. We owe our lives to three letters and to the determination of our Mom to embrace her gift of motherhood.

Birthdays are reminders to our materialistic and secular world that is steeped in a culture of death, that we are unrepeatable and uniquefrom the first moment of our conception.

The irony is though, there are hundreds of thousands of unborn babies every year who never get to see the light of day. It’s a sobering thought to realize that in the past 45 years, 60 million babies never got to celebrate a birthday. That’s 60 million birthday candles, every year that will never be blown out. 60 million unrepeatable, unique, individuals. Gone. Forever. Torn from their mother’s womb, these vulnerable little lives snuffed out in the most atrocious and cruel manner. Torn limb from limb. Burned. Suffocated. Crushed. Because of Planned Parenthood, just last year over 300,000 babies will never blow out a candle, or enjoy a slice of cake. They’ll never experience the feeling of joy as they unwrap a present or the feeling of being loved by family and friends as “Happy Birthday” is sung, even if it’s off key! Instead of a celebration, their entrance into the world is marked as the day of their death.

The Spring campaign of 40 Days for Life is over, but, abortions are still happening and that means there is a need to pray outside abortion facilities, year round. You could be the difference for an unborn baby - you could be the reason a beautiful little unborn boy or girl will blow out a candle in a year or so.

As I mark my 39th year, I’m spending time on my birthday praying in front of our local Planned Parenthood. I’m praying that my simple act of being therewill encourage a scared, overwhelmed, disillusioned mom to turn around and not have an abortion. I’m praying that she’ll see the love and kindness of us praying on the sidewalk and realize that she can walk out of the abortion facility and embrace her powerful role to protect her baby from a cruel and unnecessary death. I’m praying that my presence, (as seemingly insignificant it may be with dozens of babies being killed in Wisconsin every day), will save at least one unborn baby, whether I ever know about it in this life or not.

And that’s what motivates me. It’s what should motivate all of us.

I hope you’ll join me, and pray outside abortion facilities as often as you can, wherever you are.

I also hope that as you read this, you’ll join me in prayer. Pray for the conversion of hearts of those who are choosing or performing abortions: for the mothers, fathers, boyfriends, girlfriends, grandparents, and abortion facility / Planned Parenthood workers. Pray for those who have had abortions, for their healing and forgiveness. Pray for those who sidewalk counsel. Pray for pro-lifers to be courageous and tenacious, to stand for Truth.

Most of all, pray that mommies and daddies all over the world contemplating abortion will give their unborn sons and daughters a chance to celebrate a birthday.

We desperately need more birthdays.