Isaiah 61 became a passage of refuge during a season of my life where I needed to constantly be reminded that the Lord desires "to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty, and open the prison doors to those who are bound."
During this time, I learned that the heart of the Lord is freedom.
He desires that His children live life unencumbered and unfettered.
Time and time again, Isaiah 61 began to show up after I came to Samford.
I thought it was just a wonderful reminder of the place the Lord had delivered me from,
but it has become so much more.
I remember sitting at Brook Hills one Sunday morning, the first time I heard this passage applied to a subject area that has since captivated the core of my being: human trafficking.
Over the years, I heard tidbits of information about those 'extreme' scenarios in foreign countries where a young girl would be abducted and sold into a life of modern day slavery, being used and abused for sex.
This was a harsh but distant reality for so long,
until the Lord brought me out of the darkness of my own naivety.
Literally every day, one piece of information after another has bombarded my comfortable reality to the point that I simply cannot passively sit back and act as if I do not know that which I now do.
Human trafficking is not a distant issue or something of the past.
It is taking place in the very airports that we fly in and out of,
as a result of the products that we purchase,
in the restaurants we dine in,
as well as in foreign countries.
My heart is so broken over this issue, because it could not stand in any greater opposition to the gospel.
The gospel brings light, this is darkness.
The gospel brings freedom, this is captivity.
How can we as Christians proclaim the freedom of the gospel to people living in physical chains?
Freedom is a foreign concept to them.
There are more than 27 million people in modern day slavery.
There are currently 2.1 billion people who proclaim to have faith in Christ.
We can bring an end to modern day slavery.
Here is what we cannot do:
We cannot remain uninformed. Choose to educate yourself on the realities of human trafficking.
We cannot remain inactive. Do something! So often we question "what the Lord's will is for our life." He undoubtedly desires freedom for these slaves.
"For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong."
These are the words of the Lord.
Human trafficking is unjust and wrong,
and therefore the object of the Lord's hatred.
By actively doing nothing,
we are no better than the pimps exploiting young women in Africa,
or the factory owners overworking boys in China.
With this one voice and this one life I have been given,
I will not turn a blind eye to this issue.
I will speak and act on behalf of the 27 million in bondage,
because I know what it is like to be a slave set free.
In fact, every Christian can resonate with the concept of bringing brought out of captivity.
Join me in the effort to end modern day slavery.
If you would like to begin acting to end human trafficking,
here are a few resources that I have found quite helpful:
Organizations
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
http://www.ijm.org/
http://www.traffick911.com/
http://www.wellspringliving.org/
http://www.tinyhandsinternational.org/
http://www.polarisproject.org/
Books
God in a Brothel by Daniel Walker
Not for Sale by David Batstone
Passport Through Darkness by Kimberly Smith
Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof
The Slave Next Door by Kevin Bales
Action
Before purchasing products, research to see whether the company is itself perpetuating the slave trade or is engaging in fair trade.
Buying products from a company that utilizes slave labor in its supply chain is
only furthering the prevalence of human trafficking.
http://www.free2work.org/home
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