Sam at 3 years old.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A superhero? A sports star? A musical sensation? Most children dream of world changing professions or positions that allow them to continuously do their favorite things, whether it’s playing a sport or some musical aspiration.

As children, we dream big and don’t think anything is impossible. Then life happens. We grow up, get tainted by the pessimistic attitudes of others, and begin to feel pressure to make a certain amount of money to make ends meet or keep up with the Jones’ as the saying goes.

When I meet new people and they ask me what I do, I tend to get one of two responses. Either they say, That’s nice, and quietly walk away because they don’t know what to do with me, or they say something like,

I wish I did something that mattered like that.”

The later response makes me more sad than the former. I can understand how some people feel overwhelmed by the issue of human trafficking and can hardly wrap their minds around it. Let’s face it, it is very overwhelming, even for those of us who are in the fight on a daily basis. But those who see themselves as toiling  away at something that doesn’t matter and feeling helpless in this fight breaks my heart.

The fight against trafficking is going to take a huge army to beat and each soldier is going to bring a different skill set. Everyone doesn’t have to quit their job and start a nonprofit to step into this fight. Nowhere in the Word of God does He call us all to do so. What He does call us to do is found in Mark 12:30,

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'”

Simply put, love Him with whatever you have. Be like the young boy, who gathered with everyone else to hear the Teacher. When the Teacher needed food for the people, the little boy didn’t have a banquet hall to offer the Lord. He didn’t have the eight months wages Philip said would be necessary to feed everyone [John 6:7]. He had a sack lunch, made up of five small barley loaves and 2 fish [John 6:8-9]. That’s it. But he took what he had and he offered it to the Lord.

He offered what he had! 

And that is all God asks of us. Just offer what you have. So, I’ll ask you again, what do you do? Now, how can you leverage it for the fight?

I have a friend, Richard, who is a leading OBGYN in our community. He is highly respected and is on staff at one of the hospitals as well as working his private practice. He wanted to step into the fight, but wasn’t sure how he could help. He’s a busy man. He offered to see my girls free of charge. If the girls have insurance, he’ll take it, but he will not allow them to pay him out of pocket. He also had me put him in touch with the state hotline, Out of Darkness,  and has agreed to see the women they rescue free of charge.

I have another friend. Sherry, who is a dentist. She’s seen countless survivors and treated them free of charge. Some of these girls have huge dental issues, either from physical abuse or drug abuse. She treats each one as an honored guest. I blogged about her on Front Line Fridays. You can read her story here.

I have another friend, Esther, who is a fabulous event planner. She has planned fundraising events where she’s invited me in to speak and divided the money raised and given it to several front line organizations in the fight. You can learn about her day job here.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Just do what you do.

Here is my challenge to you: Ask God how you can step into this fight, then do what He says. If everyone would do that, we would have to find another fight to be a part of because human trafficking wouldn’t exist any longer.

Offer what you have. Be part of the solution. Raise your voice for hope.