Over the past couple months, I have prayed a prayer that sounds something like this:
“Lord, would you break my own heart for the things of this world that break yours?”
I set out praying this prayer in hopes of becoming more like Christ, and drawing closer to Him. What I did not think about was exactly what that would look like. What does it mean to have our hearts broken for the things that break God’s heart? I am beginning to learn this lesson in a very personal and intimate way.
As missionaries, even as Christians in general, we are called to be the salt and the light to the world. We are to go into the darkest places and bring the light of God. We are to go to the nations and share the gospel of Jesus. Sounds great….right?! We have all heard this before and know that it is our responsibility. However, in doing so, we are exposing ourselves to the things that keep those people oppressed and in darkness. By going to the hurting and afflicted, we are exposing ourselves to their hurts and wounds. To genuinely be Christ-like in a broken and sinful world means to step out of our comfortable church pews, to step out of the safety and protection of our comfort zones, to set aside our own ideas and expectations so that we can instead be in a position to truly understand the hurts and bondage of others.
Last week, two of my coworkers went to Cambodia to offer support and encouragement to a team of women who left their lives here in the states in order to go and be the salt and light in a country where the people are oppressed and in bondage. The team of women they visited has committed to living in Cambodia for 2 years in an attempt to fight the injustice of human trafficking in the sex trade. What may be an underground and somewhat secretive industry here in America, is a very lucrative and public practice in other parts of the world. Human trafficking is ugly, and dirty, and as a result is not talked about the way it should be. The stories that my coworkers came back with, the photos that they shared, were heartbreaking to say the least. I have found myself in tears at the mere thought of human trafficking being a reality that exists today. I want to encourage each of you to visit the blogs of my coworkers and learn of the heartbreaking injustices that are happening as I type this blog.
(Read the first 3 or 4 blogs on each site as they share new stories each day)
I began this blog by telling you that my prayer has been for God to break my heart for the things that break His. I have no doubt that our God is doing that and will continue to do that. But there is more to simply being heartbroken for the men, women, and children that are caught in human trafficking. If this modern day slavery is ever going to end it is going to take each of us taking action against it. That action begins with awareness. As you read the stories that Kristen and Connie chose to share, remember that this industry isn’t someone else’s problem. This is NOT something that only happens in far off places, or third world countries. This is happening in our cities. This is happening all over the United States in record numbers!
As you read these stories… as you become aware… as you become heartbroken… I would encourage you to find a way to get involved and fight this injustice.
Such powerful testimonies. I am an educated, well informed 47 year old woman and yet had never heard exactly what happened in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge Regime. It was always just this vague evil that you heard about. I am struck by a darkness so pervasive that the starting point can be nothing more than to sit in the darkness and love…and pray.
It certainly puts our daily battles in a different perspective. A God who is greater than even this great darkness is greater than our own struggles, too.
Thank you for sharing this, Steve.