For years I have felt so deeply moved by many, many passages in Isaiah. This morning this leapt off the page to me:
"To all who mourn in Israel, He will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of despair. For the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory!" ~Isaiah 61:3
Then I asked myself, "who are the ones that are going to be called strong and graceful?" And I was amazed at the answer: those who are mourning. Those who are crying out from among their ashes. Those who are in complete despair. Are these not the cries of the children hiding under the floor boards in the whore houses in Calcutta, India? Are these not the children forced into slave labor to make chocolate in Cote d'Ivoire? And what does the Lord say He will do for them? Look and see! He is going to make an incredible exchange: swap their ashes for beauty! Their despair for JOY!! Can they right now in this present moment even fathom that someone cares? That someone far far away is burdened for their plight to the point of tears in her comfy home and safe environment as she types a blog entry? That the God of Heaven has heard their cries of desperation and that He is raising up a family to do something?? Most likely not. But I do ache so deeply in my heart that they will somehow have hope and not give up. That they will endure long enough to see the deliverance that their Maker will provide. That they will indeed be the fulfillment of this verse and become STRONG and GRACEFUL oaks that will be sources of light and radiance and HOPE for the world and will give their Rescuer glory!!!
There are many simple ways to get involved in saving these men, women and children who are sold into slavery across the world. (One every 30 seconds!!!) Go to their website: stopthetraffik.org and sign a petition. Read and educate yourself on the plight of those around the world and in our own country who are forced into sexual slavery and tireless hours in horrifying conditions working in sweatshops. Print out the chocolate coupons and turn them in to the store where you buy chocolate. Help educate people around you about where your chocolate comes from. Rent the movie "Born in Brothels" and open your eyes to the realities that are going on in India. See if God doesn't break your heart too so we are a force to help stop this horrible trafficking of people. We can be like the single voice of Telemachus in the 5th century who stopped the horrifying Gladiator deaths in Rome. We can together cry out to the world in his words, "STOP! In the name of Jesus, STOP!"