I think God has made each of us with different soft spots, if you will. There are certain causes or injustices in the world that affect me in a much deeper and more emotional way than others. Human trafficking, particularly of small children, is one of those things. A few months ago I attended an A21 Campaign screening of the film The Trade of Innocents.  I was pretty sure that I’d cry through the whole thing and embarrass myself publicly, but I knew I had to go. Since having children the thought that there are small ones out there being stolen and forced to do heinous things without family searching high and low to the ends of the earth for them is just something that tugs at my heart in a real way.
On the way to the theater I was praying that God would help me to pay attention without imagining if it was my daughter in their place. As I was praying I felt God challenge me that actually, this was the lowest response. It is not my daughter. It won’t be my daughter. It is other young children (who God knew before He created them) that probably didn’t have a fiercely protective mother and don’t have family who would go to the ends of the earth for them. In fact, many of their families are the one who sell them to slavery. I gathered myself and realized that this wasn’t something I needed to turn inwardly paranoid about. It was something I needed to turn outward about.Â
The movie is great and opened my eyes. Right now in my current phase of life (3 under 2.5 years) I don’t have a lot of time for overseas mission trips and heavy involvement. What I do have time for is prayer and smaller ways of supporting the mission. When one of my dearest friends told me about Rethreaded, a ministry whose mission is to bring healing and freedom to victims of the slave trade through holistic intervention and training, I knew I found an organization that was doing work in the exact area where my heart bleeds. Here’s what they are about.
I recently got a ditty bag from their shop with some awesome rock crayons. The kids are quickly eroding those and I know I’ll use my red, white and blue striped ditty bag (signature Rachel color and pattern) for a while to come. No matter what your passion is or where your compassion lies, I encourage you to follow it. God gives us certain soft spots – I believe – to guide us to where He’d have us serve. Maybe all you can do is write a check right now. That’s okay. Maybe later you’ll have more time to travel and serve in more physical ways. That is fine. Whatever it is you can do, and whatever it is you can involve your children in, the better. This particular area, human trafficking, is a bit heavy for small children and might scare them if not approached carefully. In fact, my 2 year old obviously couldn’t grasp the concept. But I hope, as they age, to be able to involve them in reaching out to do our part.
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It is when we show our children there are others in need of rescue, that the parts inside them meant to be heroes and heroines starts to come alive.  As they grow older and we continue to serve we can fan that flame until they are bona fide rescuers. I hope my children do over and above the amount that I’ve even thought of doing. I hope they go out and make such a difference in their world. I can’t determine their God-given destiny, but I can surely help enhance their gifts, talents and habits so that they will be able to thrive.
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