On Sunday, I will celebrate my first Mother’s Day with my daughter outside the womb. As I reflect on the joy, exhaustion and blessing from the first few months of my daughter’s life, I have been given a new and deeper perspective on how critical the work of Family Policy Alliance® is in striving toward the kind of nation I desire my daughter to grow up in: a nation where God is honored, religious freedom flourishes, families thrive, and life is cherished.
I know many of you share that same vision, so I thought I would share with you the prayers I wrote for my daughter on this day.
I pray you will grow up in a nation where taking the life of a preborn baby is unthinkable.
America is more pro-life now in your first year of life than it has been since Roe v. Wade in 1973, so I am filled with hope. Your life is precious, and our desire is that every child is given the same chance at the miracle of life. Every child is a gift from God, and that is why we work every day to advance laws that both support mothers and protect the lives of their babies. Even if (when!) the law from Roe changes, there is still much work to be done in making abortion unthinkable. That is why our work is so important as we help states pass laws that reveal the humanity of every baby and build a support system around every mother.
A nation where life is truly cherished is one of the most important gifts we could give you, setting right decades of wrong done to mothers and their babies.
I pray we can guide you in your calling by giving you the best education suited for you.
To give you a future full of opportunity, I want to give you a present full of choices. I pray that you will grow up in a state and nation where every parent is free to choose the education that works best for their child.
God has a calling on your life, and it is your daddy’s and my responsibility to steward that in you. Having educational options enables us to do our job well.
I pray that your school and government will never force harmful curriculum or lessons on you.
I’ve watched in horror as parents have sent Family Policy Alliance examples of the types of curriculum their children are being exposed to in schools. In the name of “equality,” many schools are attempting to teach even kindergartners that “little girls can become boys” or that a girl can really be a boy in a girl’s body. These are lies. You, my daughter, are born exactly right the way God designed you—you do not have to change to “become who you are.”
Some lessons teach third graders how to “consent” to sexual acts—as if children can really consent. And some lessons can be described as nothing less than pornographic.
No child should ever have to be exposed to this kind of “teaching,” and that is why I work every day to equip parents and lawmakers to stand against this harmful propaganda and for children. Now that I have you, I understand even more the undeniable drive parents have to protect their children—and that parents, not schools or government, are indeed best at parenting.
I pray you will one day be able to compete fairly in a sport of your choice.
Whether you choose to run track and cross country (like your mama) or to play volleyball (a sport your daddy would far prefer to watch), I pray you will take joy in competing on a level playing field.
It is my prayer—and our work every day—that girls’ athletic opportunities will be saved for girls.
I pray you will be free to “shine your light” and share your faith at school, at work—and everywhere you go.
And, perhaps most importantly, I pray you will always shine your light—without being told by any government leader that you cannot. We named you Aurora, meaning light, as we pray and trust that your life will reflect the True Light of Christ.
You were born in a country with the greatest protections for our God-given religious freedom in the world. I pray this nation will continue to respect its founding and nurture that right. We work to keep America open for the Gospel, knowing that a country where you are free to live out your faith is the greatest gift we can give you—because your faith is the greatest thing you can share with others.
I know many of you share the same prayers for your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. So today, I thank you for your partnership with Family Policy Alliance, for your prayers, and for your work in making this the kind of nation we can be proud to leave to the next generation.
I pray you and your family have very blessed Mother’s Day!
Sincerely, Autumn Leva Vice President of Strategy
P.S. Follow Autumn & the Family Policy Alliance team on social media. Share your prayers for your own children, grandchildren, and nieces or nephews!
