I can’t shake the grief I feel when I look at recent headlines. Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado. The young Ukrainian girl, Iryna Zarutska, was killed while commuting home from work. Julie Schnuelle, a retired professor, was murdered in a random attack while walking her dog in Auburn. The 24th anniversary of 9/11. All of these lives cut short are stark reminders that violence and hatred can find us anywhere. Whether foreign or domestic, it is terrorism.
Here in Baldwin County and across Alabama, we are fighting the same spiritual battle. Evil is no longer hiding; it is being celebrated. It is coming straight for our children and for anyone who dares to protect them. There is no greater victory Satan could have than stealing the souls of our children and destroying those willing to risk their own lives to defend them.
This is not left versus right. This is not simply politics. This is good versus evil. We cannot, we must not, let evil win.
I somewhat know what it costs to stand in this gap. I’ve endured death threats. I’ve had my property damaged. I’ve been slandered and defamed. But what I’ve endured is nothing compared to the sacrifice Kirk, his wife, and his babies have made. To give your life to save others is ordained by God Himself. God can work anything to his glory. We may not like it or understand it; we are mere mortals, and it is beyond us. We only need to follow HIS word and HIS will. HE will work everything for HIS purpose.
I know this in the deepest way because I lost a child. His death taught me there are worse things than dying. If you’ve walked through that kind of loss, you know what I mean. You cannot live in fear and love at the same time. To speak the truth of what Jesus has commanded us is love.
We all have an opportunity to take the cards we’ve been dealt and do something with them. Will you be a victim? Will you be a warrior? Will you understand that survival itself is a gift, a chance to use your pain to glorify God? That is the only reason we are here.
The names in the headlines, the tragedies across the globe, and the losses in our own backyard all remind me of the same truth: life is fragile, time is short, and the stakes are eternal.
Every day, I receive messages from mothers, fathers, teachers, and grandparents pleading with me to fight for their children, as they are too afraid to do it themselves. But then those same people take their children right back into the very environment they are asking me to confront. What are we teaching our children if we ask someone else to fight our battles while we stay silent? What kind of legacy will that leave?
Friends, we need more than whispers and private messages. We need a movement. We need parents, pastors, neighbors and communities to rise up together and be brave – showing up to board meetings, holding elected leaders accountable, voting with conviction, and praying without ceasing.
My calling, and I believe yours, too, is to speak the truth, defend our children, and ensure that our towns are not swallowed by the destructive ideologies tearing apart bigger cities and nations. And make no mistake: it is happening here in Alabama. In some cases, the groups I’ve encountered in this state are even more aggressive than those I faced in Washington State. They move like locusts, swarming to devour and destroy anything and anyone who dares to oppose them.
In Washington, they were loud and proud. I knew who they were. In Alabama, it is more insidious. Here, they masquerade as harmless neighbors advocating for “love” and “live and let live,” while behind the scenes, they manipulate, twist, and push destructive agendas.
These groups have infiltrated our elected offices. And it needs to be said out loud.
Fairhope is my home. Alabama is my home. And I believe God calls His people to courage. I believe we possess the faith and the grit to rise above the threats, hate, and violence. We owe it to the children we tuck into bed at night, to the neighbors we pray for at church, and to the memory of every innocent life lost.
This fight isn’t easy, and it isn’t safe. But it is necessary. And by God’s grace, I will not stop, because as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
So let’s put on the whole armor of God and stand.
Rebecca Watson is the founder of Fairhope Faith Collective, a grassroots community dedicated to encouraging transparency, accountability, and family values in our schools and local government, while supporting leaders who honor the trust of Fairhope families. Send her an email at [email protected] if you would like to get involved with causes across our state.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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