Yesterday was International Women’s Day. I had the privilege of attending the ‘We Are The Women’ project gala. There, many of us gathered to view portraits taken to support two well purposed organizations; CEASE and IJM. These organizations work towards helping individuals rise out of poverty, injustice, exploitation and sex trafficking. We had the honour of listening to speakers from these organizations promote their cause. Two of the speakers intimately shared their stories of how they were victimized by sexual violence and exploitation. Their stories were deeply touching and inspiring as they have risen out of the oppression that these injustices can bring upon women.

This event reminded me how we in the world need each others support. Women need women to stand in the gap for each other, to be the voice for those that have been silenced in this world. It goes beyond women as well. There are individuals all across this earth that are being victimized. Without our help it will become more devastating.

In Western culture, it is easy to ignore injustice that occurs around the world. Perhaps we donate some money here or there, yet there is more we can do. Last night challenged me to do more. To speak up to those that do not care about the oppressed, to find ways to give more and to stand in the gap for those not being heard.

Isaiah 1:17 says, ‘Learn to do right. See that justice is done – help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend widows.’

The poor have been oppressed in the world, which has led to many injustices against them. In the West, we have so much, we consume so much. I am challenged to really think more about what I really need. Is what I want really a necessity, is it really important? We widely struggle with over consumption, which in turn takes more away from those of less fortune. Those who live in poverty are easily victimized because they do not have what we have. We have rights, a justice system, food, clean water, freedom of speech, opportunity for education. All of this contributes to an opportunity – for a chance at life. This does not mean that no one is victimized on Western soil either. It does mean that there is a drastic difference in becoming a statistic compared to those in impoverished areas.

There is an alarming amount of people in the world, including young children, being oppressed by sex trafficking, forced labour, and injustice. Think about your children, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, friends being victimized by cruel and horrific exploitations. We are not immune to these exploitations in the West either. I have two daughters and I will do my best to educate them and protect them. Every person in the world deserves a chance at life. We can only hope that they will be guided to make a positive contribution to society. Make this subject not just one of conversation, make it one of action. If you can give – give, if you pray – pray, if you can volunteer – please volunteer. We that have a voice for good must use it!

∼live your journey true∼

For more information about the organizations listed in this post, visit:

http://thewomen.ca

Why do we always want to be in control of everything? There are things in my life that I have hung onto so tightly. Eventually my white-knuckled fists had to let go. It is extremely hard to let go and let life lie where it falls, but what a relief once we are able to finally release that grip. A year after my parents split up I was so tense. One of my friends came to me, put her hand on my shoulder and softly said, “just let it go.” At that moment I broke and started to sob. I had been carrying around the weight of the world trying to get my family back together. That was not my job or responsibility. My responsibility was to simply pray and ask God for understanding into this situation that tore our family apart.

There are people and circumstances in our lives that are out of our control. We can try everything under the sun to rectify what is going on, but people have free will to choose what they want. Perhaps you have someone close to you that is lost, addicted, rebellious, ill, the list goes on. We can fight and fight trying to make it alright until we are exhausted beyond belief. The burden is not for us to carry. Jesus has compassionately offered to carry all our burdens, if we are willing to allow Him. So then, what are we supposed to do? The answer is pray. Pray for the people and heavy burdens in life that pull us down. Give it to God. Like many of us have heard before, ‘let go and let God.’ Ask God to help you see beyond the destruction that person is doing to you or themselves, so that you can love them. Ask God to soften them and speak to their heart. Walk through life knowing that you have done all you can, and you are doing the best you can by praying for them and loving them. It is undeniably one of the hardest components of relationships for me. To let go of what I cannot control. Trust me, there are constantly situations and people I want to kick some sense into. It is not my job to do that. It is out of my control, even tho the circumstance can be tearing my heart and mind up.

On the flip side, not everything is out of our control. There are moments and relationships in our life that require some intervention from us as well. That is where discerning the situation comes into play and taking responsibility for our contribution to the problem is required.

Knowing what to say or do takes wisdom and discernment. Letting go of what is out of our control takes courage. Allowing God to take control of the situation through prayer takes patience. What comes is peace that passes all understanding, that we did what we could when life is out of our control.

∼live your journey true∼

Today started out as ‘one of those days.’ A day when your patience is tested, you are tired, and you really just want to get away from everything. It is not that anything really drastic occurred. It was simply that my toddlers were very challenging, the demands of running a household were on my tail, oh yeah, did I mention my toddlers were challenging! When one of these days rolls around once in a while, or multiple times a week; it is easy to get caught up in it and down right frustrated. Yet, it really was not a bad day. I still got to snuggle with my girls before bed time and hear them say they love me. I still enjoyed the evening with my husband, he even did the supper dishes for me. So ‘one of those days’ really ended with the fact that I have nothing to complain about. We can be so quick to get ruffled up, in what is called ‘first world problems.’ There is a really big world out there with life or death situation occurring. When it is all said and done, is it really that bad your kid dumped their lunch all over the floor? Is it really horrible you have been up since 4:30am because your child wet the bed? Is it really worrisome that you shrunk your husbands favourite shirt by accident? The answer is, not really. So what started as ‘one of those days’ due to my impatience, ended as a day that I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

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One fundamental question we may ask ourselves, at some point in life is: Who Am I?This question causes people to go “find themselves” on journeys around the world. It causes the human race to find, or not find religion/faith. Some may fall into and out of relationships over this question. As a mom with two young kids, I have found myself feeling lost at times. Feeling like I am out of my own skin. Questioning all the things I thought I once believed and feeling inadequate to do all the things I once did. The interesting thing is that answering that question can evolve over time. So many circumstances can change what we think and do. Do I believe that there are traits we carry that do not change over time – definitely. Do I believe that people can change – definitely. So the question of who am I has changed for me. It has changed to: Am I able to accept who I am? Am I able to accept who God made me? This is the journey I am on. To accept the person I am, and work on my shortcomings. We can define ourselves in so many ways; our race, religion, values, careers, etc. At the end of the day, what I desire, is to be defined by my love for God and for others. All the other facets of my life will flow from that love. Without accepting and loving who God made me, it is impossible to extend love to others. Respecting others requires me to respect myself and who I am. Out of respect I can love and out of love I can respect. This is an extension of making my journey true.

∼live your journey true∼