My son first developed a love and concern for the unborn when he was quite young. I had volunteered to run a pro-life booth at a local event, and, as a six-year-old, he was right there with me. As he got older, he helped organize and run yard sales to raise money for our local crisis pregnancy center, participated in peaceful pro-life demonstrations, worked on the production of a pro-life music video, staffed the pro-life booth at the county fair, and was a featured writer for our Kids For Life Newsletter that was placed in local businesses. When it came time to get sponsors for the walk-for-life, my husband had to order him to forsake his plan to "cold call" our local phone book! In the end, he won the individual award for the most money raised.
Now married and the father of two, he continues in his love and concern for the unborn, remaining a faithful supporter of this local ministry despite the fact that he lives three hours away. Yesterday, I sat with eight others at the table he hosted for the community pregnancy center fundraiser. It also happened to be his 32nd birthday and the first game of the major league baseball division playoffs, with his team contending. Throughout the dinner, this die-hard SF Giants fan was checking the score on his blackberry while fulfilling his job as table host.
At the end of the evening, I had the opportunity to speak with the Executive Director, and she commented, "You have raised an awesome son. At the center, we refer to him as our angel. Everytime we get a donation from him, we say 'Another one from our faithful angel.'" I went back to the table and he could see that I had tears in my eyes. I explained, noting that I just had received the highest compliment a mother could hear. He smiled back and added, "By the way, the Giants won!"
Seeds planted in youth, blossom in adulthood. Praise God for His faithfulness in this journey called motherhood.
- Andrea G. Schwartz
Andrea Schwartz is Chalcedon’s family and Christian education advocate, and the author of eight books including: A House for God: Building a Kingdom-Driven Family, The Biblical Trustee Family: Understanding God’s Purpose for Your Household, Empowered: Developing Strong Women for Kingdom Service, Woman of the House: A Mother’s Role in Building a Christian Culture, and The Homeschool Life: Discovering God’s Way to Family-Based Education. She’s also the co-host of the Out of the Question podcast, the Chalcedon podcast, and has an active teaching schedule with women and high schooled students.. She can be reached at [email protected].