Across The Pond

For as long as I can remember, I have felt that I was wired to fight for justice. I was the elementary school girl who stood up for kids being bullied on the bus, the teenager who constantly told her parents why she had been grounded unjustly (sorry about that Mom and Dad), and eventually the college student who realized that we live in a truly broken world, and if I don't do something about it, then I'm just a bystander.

 

I don't have the personality to be a bystander to brokenness. When I look back on my life, I want to be able to see three things: 1.) That I used all that I was given to build God's Kingdom.  2.) That I never shied away from opportunity because I was scared, and 3.) With all that I had, I did my best to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Whether that be helping ease the pain of a friend, telling high school girls how valued they are, or lobbying for better refugee policies, I want to be the hands and feet where God calls me to be.  

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The more I have learned about God, and the more I have learned about who I am, the more I have realized that I am wired to be a voice for the oppressed.  I believe that oppression looks different for all of us. Sin oppresses us when we sink into it's alluring whisper. Fear oppresses us when we can't see past it. Insecurity oppresses us when we won't believe that we're enough to be seen and heard. This is why the phrase "embrace freedom" is something I rally around every day. God created us to live in His fullness and to walk in freedom!

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Beyond these self-oppressive states, there is oppression that I have never had to endure. It's easy to ignore, and hard to comprehend. Outside of my suburban home in Kennesaw, GA there is a dark reality that millions of the world's poorest people are trapped in various forms of forced labor, sex trafficking, and extreme poverty perpetuated by vicious cycles of violence. The UN estimates that around 4 BILLION people live outside of the protection of law, essentially meaning that when crimes are committed against them, no one answers the 911 call. Their local justice systems will not protect them. This leaves an alarming amount of humanity subject to land grabbing, sexual assault, slavery, robbery, murder, and being imprisoned without trial. 

 

When I was 18, I first learned about this reality, and I've never been able to shake the desperate desire to be a part of the generation that fights to eradicate this reality. Awareness calls us to action. Freedom was never intended to be reserved to one race, country, or socioeconomic group. Jesus came to set ALL the captives free. We cannot accept that this is the way the world is, we must act.

 

"The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." --Luke 4:18

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