God's been very intentional about placing this subject on my mind and in my heart today. First, when watching my 6-year-old daughter, Olivia, walk out the door on her way to school this morning. After she left I thought, "What if I were never to see her again because she was captured by someone intending to traffic her?" Scary thought, I know. You might encourage me NOT to think about such horrific thoughts. I'm convinced though, that too many of us are REFUSING to think about things like this because we don't WANT to know they happen; and not only in other countries around the world, but in our own backyards. You see, it's EASY to ignore or tune out the cries of the world so that we FEEL better. But just because you ignore the cry doesn't mean it goes away. Watching your young daughter walk out the door and never seeing her again is a reality of millions around our world. Human Trafficking, and the sex trade in particular, is not just a problem overseas. It's here. It's now.
A short time after Olivia left with Scott for school I was watching the Leading & Loving It virtual JustONE Conference. The women speakers for this week's broadcast weren't talking about anything remotely close to human trafficking, but God used something one of them said to remind me again of those trapped in modern-day slavery. He reminded me of the stigma that many of these girls have placed on them because of the line of work many of them are often forced into: prostitution. You see, in the past, prostitutes were seen as dirty, untouchable, disgraceful individuals who made wrong choices in life that led them to that profession. I'm guilty of seeing them this way also. Most people would admit to believing that THEY chose their path, it was THEIR decision to lead the life that they do, and it's THEIR fault for whatever harm that comes their way. With the continuing education and exposure that organizations like The A21 Campaign (http://thea21campaign.org/) are getting, we are learning that all-too-often, that is just not the case. Women, GIRLS, are being STOLEN, LURED, LIED TO and FORCED into prostitution. These are daughters & sisters. What if it were your daughter or your sister? I was convicted in the past about wrongly judging God's children. The Lord quickly reminded me of something I think is very important: am I choosing to see others as God sees them? Am I looking at that teenage girl who's struggling with her identity and dressing for a guy's attention as the daughter of the King that she is? Am I looking at that middle-aged woman who's gone through several relationships looking for what she thinks is true love as the precious child of God that she is? The saying goes, "Ever saint has a past and every sinner has a future". God is QUICK to remind me of my past when I begin to wrongly judge another person.
Until we erase the JUDGEMENT and STIGMAS that surround those beautiful daughters of Christ we can never truly help them. Until we take off the earmuffs against the cries of the world we can never truly HEAR the HURT and DESPERATION in their voices. It's time to stop ignoring the stories that don't leave us feeling warm and fuzzy inside. We HAVE to ask ourselves, "what if it were my daughter or my sister caught in human trafficking?"
A short time after Olivia left with Scott for school I was watching the Leading & Loving It virtual JustONE Conference. The women speakers for this week's broadcast weren't talking about anything remotely close to human trafficking, but God used something one of them said to remind me again of those trapped in modern-day slavery. He reminded me of the stigma that many of these girls have placed on them because of the line of work many of them are often forced into: prostitution. You see, in the past, prostitutes were seen as dirty, untouchable, disgraceful individuals who made wrong choices in life that led them to that profession. I'm guilty of seeing them this way also. Most people would admit to believing that THEY chose their path, it was THEIR decision to lead the life that they do, and it's THEIR fault for whatever harm that comes their way. With the continuing education and exposure that organizations like The A21 Campaign (http://thea21campaign.org/) are getting, we are learning that all-too-often, that is just not the case. Women, GIRLS, are being STOLEN, LURED, LIED TO and FORCED into prostitution. These are daughters & sisters. What if it were your daughter or your sister? I was convicted in the past about wrongly judging God's children. The Lord quickly reminded me of something I think is very important: am I choosing to see others as God sees them? Am I looking at that teenage girl who's struggling with her identity and dressing for a guy's attention as the daughter of the King that she is? Am I looking at that middle-aged woman who's gone through several relationships looking for what she thinks is true love as the precious child of God that she is? The saying goes, "Ever saint has a past and every sinner has a future". God is QUICK to remind me of my past when I begin to wrongly judge another person.
Until we erase the JUDGEMENT and STIGMAS that surround those beautiful daughters of Christ we can never truly help them. Until we take off the earmuffs against the cries of the world we can never truly HEAR the HURT and DESPERATION in their voices. It's time to stop ignoring the stories that don't leave us feeling warm and fuzzy inside. We HAVE to ask ourselves, "what if it were my daughter or my sister caught in human trafficking?"
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