27 million

Date: 02/27/2013 09:40:41 PM
Well, today was a day to disappear off from social media to be a voice for the 27 million people who are currently in slavery around the world.  There is a really good website that I highly recommend that has started a movement to end modern day slavery.  It is called enditmovement.com

Not only does it sadden me to know that there is that many slaves in our world, it also angers me as a parent.  There are children as young as Josiah and Sophie who are working in fields or factories.  The thing that turns my stomach the most is that there are children as young as them who are being kidnapped and sold for sex.  It was last year, when Chris and I are were watching Passion 2012 that we really heard about modern slavery.  Over the last year, this topic has been brought to the forefront and people are starting to do things to free these slaves.  There is a tremendous ministry called "International Justice Mission" that are going out to the front lines and doing what they need to do to free these slaves around the world.  Not only are they freeing these slaves, but they offer them help afterwards. 

So today, I spent quite a bit of time...the time that I normally would be on the Internet...praying and asking God what He wanted me to learn from this day.  The thing that kept coming back up is that even though I might not physically be in slavery/bondage, there are many things that I am a slave to.  Some things are...having a clean house, making sure the kids are behaving, FaceBook/Internet, making sure that I have fun/interesting things to do during our school time, cooking nice meals, taking naps, watching TV shows.  Sure these things don't seem like BIG offenses, but when I find other things to do instead of spending time with my Lord, then I am living a life of slavery.  I absolutely don't want to minimalize what 27 million people are living like currently, but I often wonder if some of them have a better relationship with God than I do.  Because of their dire living conditions, they feel a great desire to spend time with Him...to fellowship with Him...than I do on a daily basis. 

I know I haven't learned everything that God wants me to from this day, but He has started something in me.  I know  He wants me to be more intentional about how I spend my time...what I worry about, what I do to unwind, what I do to have fun.  I know my desire from today is to no longer be a slave to the world, but to be a slave to the ways of my Savior and King.