My "It's Not OK" Moment

A few weekends ago we had a wonderful message at church.  The pastor was speaking about his experience of running 100 miles for children in Africa.  100 miles!  I can't even imagine.  The last two summers I ran a 1/2 marathon with Team World Vision to raise money for clean water projects for communities in Africa.  It was the hardest thing I've ever done.  At the time I couldn't even think about running a full marathon much less 100 miles.  The reason he was doing this, along with 4 other runners, was to get children sponsored through World Vision.  In his message he posed the question "Have you had an It's Not OK Moment?"  For him it was on a trip to South Africa where he met an 8 year old little girl.  He was visiting the place where they lived.  He asked her where she slept and she took him around the corner and pointed to a cold cow dung floor.  He asked her where her bed was and she pointed to the ground.  He asked her if she had a blanket or something to sleep with and she held up a thin sheet full of holes.  God wrecked his soul and he bend over weeping saying "God, this is not OK"

To view his message click here

My "It's Not OK Moment" happened when I  was viewing a video at church a few years ago.  They highlighted the issue of human trafficking in some country that I don't remember.  What I do remember is the image of the young girls being rescued.  I remember seeing girls that must have been 6 or 7 years old being pulled from this dark room.  It wrecked me, but I didn't know what to do with those feelings.  The Lord kept laying the issue on my heart over the next year or so.  I began researching and reading books about human trafficking.  I was horrified to learn how far reaching this was.  When I first began my research I thought of this as something that only happens in other countries.  I was shocked to  learn that it was even going on here in the United States!  I started this blog as an outlet for all the emotions I was feeling in my research of human trafficking. It's a way for me to organize my thoughts and hopefully educate others.  I feel like I am trying to find my way and discover how God wants to use me on this.  Perhaps right now it is for me to spread the word that these things are happening.  Many people are simply unaware.   

I have been extremely fortunate that my church was willing to bring awareness to this issue.  They asked me to head up a volunteer team for human trafficking within the Compassion and Justice ministy.  Even though this is way out of my comfort zone I said yes.  For me this could not be one of those things where I thought "Someone else would be better suited for this" or "Someone else will be able to take care of that."  So we are hosting quarterly forums to raise awareness.  We are hoping that over the summer we can take a group of volunteers and go serve at one of the local organizations. 

I think sometimes we get comfortable with our lives and we would rather not know how others are hurting, broken, forgotten.  We choose to look the other way.  But God calls us to help those who are forgotten.

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.  (Isaiah 1:7)

Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.  Psalm 82:3-4

If you have not had an "It's Not OK Moment" will you ask God to open your eyes to the forgotten, the voiceless, the powerless?  I'm reminded of the song by Brandon Heath.  The lyrics to the chorus are powerful...

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

The forgotten, the voiceless, the powerless.
It breaks my heart. It breaks God's heart. 
How will you remember those who are forgotten?