photo (28)Have you ever heard the story of the starfish?  It’s a story by Loren Eisley about a man walking down the beach who sees a boy frantically picking up starfish that had washed upon the shore, throwing them back into the ocean.  When the man asked the boy what he was doing, he said he was throwing the starfish back into the ocean so they wouldn’t die.  The cynical man told the boy there were miles and miles of starfish. He could work all day and he’d never make a difference.  The boy tossed another starfish in the ocean, smiled at the man and said,

I made a difference to that one.”

The issue of human sex trafficking is so massive its mind boggling.  Globally, it is estimated there are 27 million slaves today. Our nation abolished slavery in 1865; however, in the United States alone, its estimated that 300,000 girls are at risk of being trafficked each year. It’s overwhelming. How can we begin to do anything about it?

We help by stepping into the fight, because we’re called to do it.  Isaiah 6:8 says,

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

So what can one person do? How can one person make a difference? Simple… by taking one step at a time. Here are just a few things one person can do:

  1. Educate yourself about the issue.  Learn not only about the issue of human sex trafficking, but learn what is happening in your area.  Called the crime hidden in plain sight, it exists; we just don’t always see it. Rescuing Hope is just one book on the issue.  The White Umbrella by Mary Frances Bowley tells of the struggles these young girls face in trying to piece their lives back together.
  2. Share what you learn with others. Awareness is key to advancing the fight against human sex trafficking.  The more people who become aware of this issue, the harder it will be to hide it right before our eyes.
  3. Make some noise. Noise draws attention. As the old saying goes, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Bombard your elected officials from your county commissioners to the White House demanding they exhaust their resources to protect and defend our children. We must have stiffer penalties against pimps who sell young children as commodities and the men who buy them.
  4. Join and support organizations that are on the front lines fighting this issue. There are many in the fight, rescuing the victims and helping them take back their lives.  Click here to see where you can get plugged into the fight.
  5. Volunteer with at risk students to help prevent them from becoming a victim. Prevention is key.
  6. Donate your time and talents to a restoration center like Wellspring Living. Give hope to a young girl who has found her way out of the nightmare of human sex trafficking.

You, too, can be like the little boy on the beach and make a difference, one life at a time.

There’s great power in the number one. One person can make a difference. One person can be a voice for hope. Will you?

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