LifeDate Spring 2026 – Stand Firm For Life
by Deaconess Janet Nicol, Word of Hope
When we speak of our LifeDate theme, Stand Firm For Life, we are not only speaking about the protection of physical life—although that matters deeply—but about the way life is honored, sustained, and wounded every day through our words and actions. Life is diminished when relationships are severed, when forgiveness is withheld, when careless words push people to the margins. These are not small things; they strike at the heart of what it means to be truly pro-life.
I always like improving my vocabulary and here is a fun word:
Kibitzer—a person who offers unsolicited advice or distracting commentary.
We’ve all encountered one, and if we’re honest, we’ve all been one. I know I have! After all, another definition includes someone who jokes or makes wisecracks while others are trying to focus. (Guilty as charged!)
But how do we keep from becoming full-time kibitzers, and how do we let go of resentment toward those who offend us with their unwelcome words? The answer is forgiveness. Chances are, we’ve all been on both sides—offering unsolicited advice and receiving it. (And yes, I just turned a noun into a verb.)
I recall a situation when a friend decided to leave my husband and me out of social situations we had been invited to in the past because of a perceived lack of concern for her daughter. It caused me great loss of sleep at one time. I never heard words of forgiveness, even though I issued an apology, she never acknowledged it, and her friendship seems lost forever. I then struggled for a long time, forgiving her for her lack of forgiveness toward me. Forgiveness isn’t just a concept; it’s a battle of the heart.
So, each day, we must ask ourselves:
What resentments have I been clinging to today?
And just as importantly, we must recognize the moments in which we have hurt others with our words, whether or not we remember the exact phrasing. Thankfully, confession doesn’t require perfect recall—but forgiveness does demand deeper reflection on why we struggle to let go. This is, without a doubt, one of the hardest things to do.
Ephesians reminds us that standing firm requires armor, because life is constantly under assault—not only in obvious ways, but in subtle, relational ones. Our enemy, Satan, delights in turning words into weapons and resentment into strongholds. Left unguarded, we either become kibitzers who wound others with our speech, or we harden ourselves against those who have wounded us. Neither posture upholds life.
But Christ stands firm for us. He absorbs our sharp words, our failures to forgive, and our quiet resentments into His own body. In Baptism, He names us as His own. In the liturgy, He speaks life over us again and again. In the Lord’s Supper, He places His very life into our hands. This is what arms us to stand firm—not in self-defense, but in mercy.
Words matter. That’s why the old saying—“sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”—is one of the most frustrating clichés ever uttered. We all know it isn’t true. Words do wound, and no amount of pretending otherwise will change that. Christians, we have better words—words that bring life, redemption, and peace. These are the words of Christ: spoken over us in Baptism, repeated in our liturgy, heard in sermons, and most profoundly, received in the Lord’s Supper. Don’t deprive yourself of these words, nor of Christ’s tangible body and blood. Go to church. Hear the forgiveness that is freely given. Because that, and only that, will help us stop being kibitzers—and more importantly, help us forgive the kibitzers in our lives.
To stand firm for life, then, is to guard the life God has given—not only in the womb, but in friendships, families, congregations, and communities. It is to choose forgiveness over bitterness, humility over commentary, and life-giving words over those that slowly erode trust and love. This kind of standing firm is costly. It is also holy. And it is only possible because Christ first stood firm for us.