Slavery. It's still here.

Yesterday was MLK Day. A day to honor a man who gave his life to fight injustice. A day to reflect on how much progress has been made. It's a day set aside to celebrate the rights to freedom for all people.

But honestly, it's a day I usually skim over. To me, it's just a day that kids are out of school (annoying, longer lines at Panera), some people are off work (awesome, less traffic), and the banks are closed (shoot, Steven wanted me to deposit that check...).

It's a day that I don't really identify with. It's so hard for me to imagine a time and place where people were denied rights because of their skin color. Call me naive. Call me young. But it's crazy to think that less than 50 years ago schools were still segregated. That just sounds so ridiculous, doesn't it? We really have come such a long way.

But the road is long. And even though some battles have been won, the war rages on.

I was reminded of this yesterday.


Slavery. It's still here. And even though I don't see it in my every day life, that doesn't mean it doesn't still exist. It does. And it's worse than ever.

Steven and I were invited to watch a film on sex trafficking last night at the Oak Park Library. Sex trafficking--probably the most intimate violation of someone that I can think of. So there I was, just minding my own business on MKL Day, and getting slapped in the face with this reality.

My head has been spinning ever since.

Like the picture says, approximately 2 million women and children are being exploited in the sex trafficking industry today. 2 million. Let me wrap my head around that number for a second. Houston Texas, the 4th largest city in the US, has 2 million people. So just imagine...taking every single person in Houston and selling them as sex slaves. Seems unreal. Sadly, shockingly, this is really happening in our world today.

Worse yet, children are sold for as little as $20 bucks. $20 measly bucks. A life, a soul for just $20 dollars. I spent more on my new hat. These slave children, as young as 4 years old, are being turned into commodities--disposable and cheap. And half the world has no idea.

Oh, how the war rages on.

This stuff should break my heart. Doesn't it break yours? But last night, as the movie ended and as the horrific images of young girls being sold into prostitution came to an end, I had no emotion. Now those of you who know me, know that I show emotion quite easily. I cry far too much, feel way too deeply and get excited about the littlest of things. (Just ask Steven, he doesn't understand how so much emotion can exist in one person) So this response, or lack there of, came as a shock to say the least.

Why didn't I feel more for these girls? Why will I likely forget about them when life gets busy? How can I call myself a follower of Jesus--a lover of people and justice--and just continue on with my mundane life?

Maybe I was overwhelmed. Maybe I was paralyzed when thinking about the task at hand. This kind of slavery is so evil. So embedded in sin. Where does one even begin? And how will one person be able to make any sort of dent in an industry that makes 32 billion dollars a year? It's too much. The task too hard.

Maybe I showed no emotion because sex trafficking hasn't directly effected my life. Isn't that how it usually goes? We only care about the things that effect us. It's our self-absorbed mentality at it's best. Or worst. But just think about it. Why do so many people raise money for the Susan G. Koman Foundation? Why is there a whole month dedicated to breast cancer awareness? Because so many peoples' lives have been effected by it. Their mother, their spouse, their wife, their mom, their friend. It's personal and it hits close to home. What if the we cared to stop sex slavery as much as we cared to find a cure. What if we raised awareness for the sex victims like we raise awareness in October.

What if it was my child that was taking in 3 men a night...
What if sex trafficking was my life...
Maybe then my heart would truly break.

Maybe I had no tears because I don't value life as much as I should. No, wait. I value my life an awful lot. Just not others. I'll go out of my way to make sure justice is served to me, but for others? I could take it or leave it. I'd rather concern myself with...well, me. You know, important things like what I'm cooking for dinner tonight, or how much weight I think I need to lose, or what's on tv. It's shameful and true. I do not value others' lives like I should. I do not risk for them. I do not sacrifice for them. I do not live like they are eternally significant.

Good thing my God does.

God's heart is for people. He's about sacrifice--just look at the cross. He's in the business of saving the souls of men. God's all about being eternally significant.

I laid in bed last night, tired and frustrated with myself. Oh God, what do you want of me?

I had this thought, 50 years from now, being old and gray, holding my precious grand-daughter in my lap. What would I say to her if she asked me what I did to fight the injustice in our world today? Would I shamefully look away and regretfully say that I ignored it? Or would I tell her stories of the lives that were changed because I decided that doing something was better than nothing?

My mind went further. What will I say to my Heavenly Father when I stand before Him on that glorious day? Will my love for Him and His people be proven genuine? Oh, how I hope so. For how I long to hear Him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Oh, how I hope to lay Micah 6:8 at His feet and say that I did this the best I could.

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

So here are my small steps towards acting justly. And they're not just for me, they're for you too. Enough talk. Enough blogging. Enough procrastinating. Let us do what the Lord requires of us. Let us be found faithful. Let our hearts break for the broken-hearted. And then, let us seek justice.

Listen.
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Fight sex tourism.
Fund the cause.
Get educated.
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SPREAD THE WORD.