In the midst of heartache

A few months ago we began our work in anti-human trafficking alongside a remarkable group of men and women who amaze me. The thing that strikes me most is that they are living as anyone else would live, but with a focus of serving those around them incorporated into their daily routines. Whether they are running a home; a safe haven for those who have been abused, helping with a community center, or doing regular outreach in the red-light districts, these servants are regular people like you and me. They go about their day with similar challenges and blessings: eating regular meals, finding their way to work, and all the while making choices to love those they are working with; with compassion, with joy, with a daily decision to serve, to fold the hurting into their routines, into their lives and to live alongside of them.

Many have asked us, and we have asked ourselves, how we can work daily in the face of such trauma and hurt and hope to retain a healthy perspective on life. The reality is that at some level we all live face to face with trauma, whether it be in our work, seen on the news, the homeless we see as we walk to lunch.  

I’ve learned from those around me that it is the individual choices, the way we choose to respond to each person and each situation that not only serves others but stabilizes our outlook on life. It is a process of remembering the grace that has been given to us and giving that grace and love back to those around us, one person at a time; the broken, the exploited, as well as those doing the exploiting. We cannot let ourselves be hardened by the sin and destruction we see around us, because then we will have already lost the battle. We must approach the sadness from a place of security in knowing that we are loved, we have received Grace and be willing to give that back in the moments when we have the opportunity. Step by step we have the chance to love and make an impact. The big picture is too much for us to solve, we must approach this one person, one soul at a time and be willing to love. 

How can you give grace today?                                                                                               -Lauren Nest