The Short Beep and the Loooong Beep

Every day that I walk with God is a brand new adventure! Every day I find fresh grace for whatever situation I find myself in, and I find myself continually in awe of God’s goodness. He continues to dazzle and amaze me.

As I wrote this morning, I will be attending a conference at church. It starts this evening, goes all day tomorrow, and then most of Saturday. That left today mostly free, so I decided to drive to Fort Myers and spend a few hours on the sidewalk outside of planned parenthood. This is still a very new thing for me, so a bit of bravery and Holy Spirit equipping is involved every time I go.

Today I was equipped a little better than previous trips because I now have three pro-life signs. So I dropped all of my littles off at school, grabbed my three signs, and headed off. As I drove there, I pondered which of my three signs I should choose…

When I arrived there was construction everywhere. The parking lot was filled with construction equipment and workers. The crosswalks weren’t working, and the streets were torn up. I didn’t see anyone there on the sidewalk where they usually stand. I was bummed, and thought, “Oh well. I guess I am not being called here today.” You see I couldn’t go alone because I was warned on my first trip there by a seasoned prayer warrior, “It’s important to always be with someone here. Don’t stand on the sidewalk alone.”

So I was going to head home when Holy Spirit prompted me to drive through the construction one more time. I did and this time I caught a glimpse of two women on the sidewalk. I knew then I could stay. I parked my car, and looked at my signs. I had the urge to bring all three. I got out, and headed over. This involves walking several blocks because the only place we have permission to park is the Sonny’s BBQ.

Then, on the way, I passed a Community Pregnancy Center that offers hope to women experiencing a crisis pregnancy. You can get a free pregnancy test, a free ultrasound of your baby, and resources for help available in the community. This is right across the street from Planned Parenthood, and many women may not even know it’s available for them.

And then, at last when I finally arrived, I met two amazing women who were earnestly praying for innocent life. Guess what? They didn’t have any signs. Is God amazing or what? I’ve never had my own signs before today, and I just happened to have three! One for each of us.

We joined in prayer, and we prayed for our nation, our nation’s families, the church, women, government, foster care, pregnancy centers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, and provision. We prayed for cars that were driving by. We sang worship songs, and I felt like the whole thing was set up by God!

So…..what’s the deal with the short beep and the long beep?

Well, I learned a few new things today.

A short honk, honk, honk is almost always followed by a wave, a thumbs up, or many times even a double thumbs up! These are fellow supporters of life. Another human who values the life of the unborn. Maybe someone who never stood on a sidewalk, but as they pass by, they feel moved to share their encouragement.

The long honk is a different story. The long honk is pressed in anger, and it is almost always followed by the finger. Yes, I was “flipped the bird” three times today. And once a car window was rolled down and I got to hear an earful too. These are people who feel very deeply that life is a choice, and are willing to express that in obscene and intimidating ways. I simply pray that their eyes are opened to the truth.

So, two takeways….

1. God is in the details! He knew when I ordered my signs a few weeks ago that I would need three today!

2. If you flip me the bird, I will pray for your heart to be softened. Your needs to be met. Your family and generational line to experience healing, and that you will discover the truth about who you are in Christ. (That’s what I did for the man yelling obscenities at me today. I just quietly prayed for him.)

Much love and blessings to all of you!!!!!

*** I started this post this afternoon, and now I am finishing it at 12:30am. The church conference was amazing. More about that to come..***

Vanessa Lynn

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