Over the last month, I’ve been challenging myself to sit with and interact with the Lord in new ways to deepen my relationship with Him intentionally. In this time, He has been answering some of my many questions, while also allowing me to sit and ponder on some new ones related to the connections between anti-trafficking work and the Kingdom.
I began working through the book of Jeremiah early in the month and reading about God’s warning of exile against the people of Jerusalem due to their unfaithful actions towards Him. I’ve been reminded of the Lord’s hand within the injustice in this broken world, especially in the context of human trafficking. In Jeremiah chapter 12, Jeremiah comes before God with questions pertaining to the lives of the wicked and where His just hand plays a role. God indirectly responds to Jeremiah’s questions and concerns in a way that merely prepares Him for the difficult road to come as He brings justice upon His lost people. God’s response urges Jeremiah to trust Him and obey His command to speak the word of God to the rebellious.
As I continue in support raising and getting to the field becomes more of a reality, the weight and severity of anti-trafficking work start to set in all the more. I find myself coming to the Lord with similar questions about the wicked and failing to grasp where the Lord’s goodness lies in the darkness of trafficking. I’m mentally brought back to the wave of emotions and heartbreak that flooded over me in May of 2023, as I sat on the couch of Nea Zoi’s office after engaging in prayer over the Athens brothel district. Questions like: How can the pimps get away with this? Where is God in this place if He loves justice as much as the Bible says He does? Why is this the life these women are living, and why do I get to live the life I do? While these questions are nowhere near answered, and maybe never will be during our time on earth, I am humbled and reminded of my role in this line of work. The Lord has the ultimate say when judgment day comes. Therefore, my job as I step into the front lines of the trafficked community is to bring the word, hope, and love of Christ into the darkest corners of the brothel district. Our job is to love as He has loved, and help in the fight towards justice. Not bring justice ourselves.