Why Someone Wants Me Dead – and Why It Makes Me Happy

After leaving college one beautiful day, I waved to my friend as we went our separate ways. As I reached my car, I went to unlock the driver's door, when I noticed the words on the door. Beneath the window, in black permanent marker, someone had written, “I wish you were aborted, idiot!” Did someone really write such a horrible message on my car? I spent long enough trying to wash it off to safely say yes.

I was in complete shock. Never before has anyone vandalized my car in any way. I get along well with people, and, in general, people seem to like me. I'm the “goody two shoes” and “that nice, Catholic girl,” so people usually treat me nicely and respect me. So why the death wish on my car? While, at times, I may be quiet and shy around people when I'm alone, I generally have no problem jumping in the fray to stand up for what I believe in. And as a devout Catholic in this free-for-all country, there are a lot of times I have to be ready to stand up for what is right. But I am proud of what I believe in and it shows – literally. And my car is one place it shows. I have nine bumper stickers (seven with pro-life messages) and a pro-life magnet. Not as many as I'd like, but apparently more than a certain someone could handle.

So. Why did they say something so terrible, in permanent marker, no less? I think I can come up with a few good reasons:

1. They probably had no idea whose car it was that they were vandalizing. It's a lot easier to do something mean when you can separate the act from the person you are affecting. The person (or people) responsible didn't see how their message hurt me – all they saw was a way to rebel against the message I was promoting, and they were able to do it without looking me in the eye.

2. The side they are defending is evil in and of itself. If they support abortion, the killing of an unborn, defenseless baby, why should I have any qualms about believing that they would write an evil message on my car?

3. They might not have had many rebuttal arguments (or logical, good ones). If they did, they could have just left me a note under my windshield wiper, and that obviously would have made me respect them a little more. As is, I pity them and give their stance no support and wouldn't consider their argument even if I wanted to (which I obviously don't) because they had no argument, just a verbal attack.

Now, my favorite part - explaining why I am glad they did what they did. Not surprisingly, at first, I felt so hurt and broken down. I knew not to take their message to heart – especially since they probably had no idea who I even was, so their message wasn't geared toward me personally. They were trying to lay a low blow, but I'm sure if they met me and didn't see me beside my car, they never would have said what they did – in fact, I bet they would have liked me (or at least not hated me). I knew all this to be true, but it still stung until I had a few hours to shake it off and see it for what it was: an acknowledgment, a cry of insecurity, and a point for the pro-life view.

They acknowledged that they saw my bumper stickers, which is exactly what I want – for people to see what I support and to reflect on it. They were obviously not secure enough in their stance to accept I have different views than they do. And one of my favorite parts – by telling me they wish I had been aborted, they are clearly wishing that I had never been born. And why does this make me so happy? They wish that I had been killed – meaning that they are considering an unborn baby alive. They know that abortion is murder, and this alone would turn many people from the anti-life movement, if only they could be convinced that an unborn baby is alive. And here was someone on the pro-abortion side who openly admitted that abortion is murder – and they would be happy with a college student being dead.

This served as a reminder to me for why I do what I do. This person has done me a great favor. They reminded me that supporting abortion is always evil and always wrong but also that standing against this stance is not for the faint of heart. In order to prove that abortion is wrong we need to be brave enough to say what we believe even though we may be persecuted. We need to stand strong and treat everyone with love and respect, even if they have polar opposite views from us.

So here is my thank you to that anonymous someone who re-inspired me and helped me prove a point. May God open your eyes and your heart, and may your hurts be healed.