They Have Been Bought with a Price

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

You were bought with price.

I heard those words this weekend in a sermon and they struck me.

These words are intended to motivate sexual purity. To reinforce the fact that we are not our own and our bodies are not to be messed with in a sexual manner. They are the temple of the Holy Spirit and should be desecrated in no way.

Inspiring and conscience gripping words to some. Horrifying words to others.

Women and girls and boys all across the globe, as young as 4 years old, are bought with a price every day. But it is not a price reflecting their actual worth. Their dignity and sacredness is cheapened in an incredible way. Perpetrators victimize young people by paying, or promising to pay, money, goods or services to a youth—or a pimp—in exchange for sexual acts or entertainment. The most intimate, vulnerable and sacred parts of these youth are demolished in a day. These young men and women have been forced into sexual slavery at the hands of someone much stronger than they are. And escaping from that horror is next to impossible. Even if they do escape, the ramifications of the acts they have been forced to complete and the experiences they have encountered can be crippling.

I have been thinking of these issues and learning about them for the past six months since I started my business. Many of the products I sell have been created by human trafficking survivors and I wanted to know what I was talking about. I am ashamed to say that all this time I have not feel particularly passionate about this issue. I recognize it as a huge injustice, and want to help, but my heart hasn't been as in it as much as I hoped it would be. Part of it, I think, is because I've never seen this up close, nor do I know anyone else who has.

As I've been working on this post, my 4 year old started crying - the hurt kind of cry - as she was coming down the stairs. I ran to see what was the matter and here she had closed her thumb in a door. I picked her up, held her, brought her to where I was working and just cuddled with her. When she started to calm down, I looked into her big, dark, innocent eyes and I thought about how beautiful she is.

If anyone ever did this to my daughter, I would be beyond furious. I don't think there could be words that would even be able to describe the feelings of devastation I would experience as her mother. Let alone what she would be experiencing. The injustice of sexual slavery is disgusting and sick and deserves the fires of hell. These individuals that have been so degraded have been bought with the blood of Christ and deserve to be treated that way.

The issue is enormous. It is so widespread, a $32 billion a year industry, as a matter of fact. When you think about it, it is easy to feel helpless and powerless to do anything. Feelings of helplessness and powerlessness don't lend themselves to action. They typically inspire nothing.

Sexual slavery an issue that we are all responsible for changing because it is a human injustice. The more personal we can make it, the more we'll want to change it. It is incredibly easy to get involved and make a difference, even if it seems small to you. Volunteering, sending letters to survivors, financial donations to a variety of organizations, buying products the survivors have made at a fair trade wage (ensuring fair treatment and encouraging their creativity), sending every day staples to the organizations supporting these individuals, or simply reading about these injustices. These are all ways to help. Maybe this isn't your passion. That's okay. But we can all do something.

At the Idea Camp this week, the issue of sexual slavery is being discussed. Bloggers will be contributing their thoughts of slavery in creative and purposeful ways. Check it out to learn more and see what you can do to help.

**Disclaimer - Many links provided here are associated with my business and the various informational links within it which discuss human trafficking and sexual slavery. The purpose of this is to introduce you to ways you can help, not solicitation.