do you want something real or something beautiful? - Amy's Story.

the sin of human trafficking runs deep.
it starts with a small seed.
lust, coveting, media, a scandalous movie.
then the monster grows.
occasional fall into desires, pornography, sex...
and then...
trafficking.

On the Viva Voce team, we've been talking a lot about where the act of human trafficking comes from. It starts small; it starts with lust, pornography, lies of the media. When one desire is not met, the want grows, the sin increases. While the men and women who partake in this atrocity may have started out as "good people", their desires took over. It could be a desire for power, money, or sex. No matter the demand, a supply is always found...no matter how horrible method of getting that product.

The problem is me. The problem is you. The problem is us.

There's a song that says, "Do you want something real or something beautiful? Because I'd be happy to deceive you." Isn't that what we're doing? The truth hurts; it's hard and raw and cutting. But, at least for me, ignorance is no longer an option. I was ignorant of this once...somewhat by choice and somewhat innocently. But now my eyes are open, and they're not shutting.

27 million enslaved. Can you imagine? I can't. And yet...there is hope. A hope that is bigger and mightier than any of us can imagine. I've been reading "No Greater Love", which is the teachings of Mother Teresa. In her book, she writes about Deuteronomy 6:5, which states, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." Mother Teresa says that God does not expect the impossible; He is a God of the POSSIBLE, a God of CHANGE, HOPE, and LOVE.

The thought of human trafficking is suffocating. So much pain, so much sorrow, so much evil. But God does not call us to conquer all of that on our own. HE will take care of it. HE will use us, His vessels, to start a movement. I'm just humbled to be a part of it. Thank you, Father.