To those who have a voice...

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
--Proverbs 31:8 (NIV)


As a history major (and in particular, someone who is currently taking a German history course with an emphasis on WWII and the Holocaust), I have spent countless hours studying the horrific events that occurred both within and without Germany. I have read books, watched movies, and even wrote about the persecutions of the Jews, the tragedies of a Baltics region caught between Hitler and Stalin, the violence against Nazi resisters...the list goes on and on.

The most common theme I've found amongst these victims and their suffering is this: they were VOICELESS. Defenseless. Very few were standing in their corner, prepared to fight for their lives even if it cost their own. As a result, millions were persecuted, tortured, and murdered at the hands of their oppressors.

Kind of like today...

There are millions of human beings suffering at the hands of others, and in some cases, very little is being done about it. Human trafficking, domestic violence, abortion, and bullying are only a few examples that destroy millions of human beings each year. Who is speaking up for them?

I will be the first to admit that there are the chosen few that have dedicated time, money, effort, and even their livelihoods to giving a voice to these voiceless victims. But what about the rest of us? Are we speaking on their behalf? Or simply watching on the sidelines as our fellow brothers and sisters are shattered and demolished before our very eyes?

I'm guilty of it too, trust me. I have seen stories of abuse victims and simply breathed a quick prayer before moving on with my life. I've watched videos about the horrors of abortion (and those affiliated with it) and not shared them with others because I was too afraid of "offending them." But lately, I've been realizing that this isn't how it should be.

As a Christian, it's my obligation to fight for them, to give a voice to those are unable to speak for themselves. It's not right for me to sit on the sidelines, living life comfortably while others are hurting, suffering, and even dying but are unable to do anything about it. I have something they don't have: a voice, an ability to fight against the injustice their face. If I don't use it to speak on their behalf, what is the point of having it at all?

Jesus always spoke/moved on behalf of those who were defenseless: the outcasts of society, those who had been neglected and mistreated, the ones who couldn't help themselves and who received help from no one. He ALWAYS fought for them, always changed what they themselves could not. He set the captive free, healed the sick, restored the outcasts, died for the sins of mankind when we couldn't do it ourselves....and fundamentally changed the world in doing so.

Above all, Jesus showed the rest of us how to live. If the God of the universe took the time to come down and act on our behalf, what is our excuse for not doing so for others? We may not have much to offer, but like Jesus, we can offer everything we do have. And most importantly, we can offer our VOICE.

Those Around Me

Oftimes the dumbest things upset me.  I cry for a reason that I later realize is completely stupid.  I often reason with myself that I am, obviously, a teenage girl and that teenage girls are supposed to be emotional.  However, even I know that is no excuse for selfishness and self-pity.
Most times I try to move the focus off myself and on to those around me.  After all, I could be hurting very badly on the inside, but I still have it better than the rest of this world.  There are so many hurting people out there, how could I focus on the things that are so unimportant.
I was reading a book earlier, and one of the characters in it is a young girl back in the 1800s who was forced into prostitution after her husband died, leaving her without any family or friends.  Three sisters live across the saloon that she works at, and they try to help her as best they can.  She does eventually get freed from the man who claims to 'own' her, but my point is, there are people out there like that today.
How many people have I passed by that have hidden scars from past hurts?  How many people have I ignored that may be abused and stuck in a hopeless situation?  God is hope, so why didn't I show them that they aren't stuck in a completely hopeless situation?  Are there people surrounding me right now that could be hurting just as must as that book character?
At one time or another we all have hurts that must heal.  There will always be people in the world hurting, no matter how hard we try to stop it.  Sometimes it is God's way of helping us grow.  Sometimes we can grow by helping others through their hurts.  I feel like I haven't helped anyone at all, but now it's time for that to change.  I WILL help those around me.  I WILL witness to those who have not yet heard the truth.  I WILL show God to the hurting and broken.  That is why I'm here, after all.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.