Our Stories
Gaps
By Kim Hjelm | posted 01/15/2009
"And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)
We all have gaps in our education. You know, those things we should know but we don't. Whatever the reason, these gaps are what keep us humble and keep us from thinking we "know it all".
I am far from the "know it all" category and at my age it seems I used to know a lot more than I do now. Somehow knowledge is escaping from my grey matter. Whether it is fugitive information or a gap in learning, I recently became aware of some things I should have learned long ago.
In February of 2007, when notified of the release of the movie, Amazing Grace, I did some research about the film. I learned it was the story of William Wilberforce and his fight against slavery in 18th century England. I don't remember ever hearing about William Wilberforce or his long battle in Parliament to end the slave trade. My research continued and my realization of my gap in knowledge grew.
Not only have I become captivated by the man who was William Wilberforce, I have learned of the ongoing fight against slavery. Yes, slavery is illegal in nearly every nation but "twenty-seven million slaves exist in our world today. Girls and boys, women and men of all ages are forced to toil in the rug loom sheds of Nepal, sell their bodies in brothels of Rome, break rocks in the quarries of Pakistan, and fight wars in the jungles of Africa." (Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade--and How We Can Fight It by David Batstone). The trade in human beings today rivals drug trafficking and the illegal arms trade for the top criminal activity on the planet. The FBI projects that the slave trade generates $9.5 billion in revenue each year (U.S. Department of State, 2004 Trafficking in Persons Report). The International Labour Office estimates that figure to be closer to $32 billion annually (International Labour Office, A Global Alliance against Forced Labour, May 2005).
What can we do? The first thing is awareness. We must educate ourselves about this crisis. Those of us that were at Creekside last Sunday, started on this journey of enlightenment about the existence and the magnitude of slavery today. But we cannot stay at the starting line; we need to keep moving forward until we reach the point of action. Yes, it is overwhelming, yes it is frightening, but we have been rescued out of the darkness to be a light to the world...we=me+you. We are it. We are to be God's light to a dark and hurting world. If we don't do it, it won't get done.
My eyes have been opened and my heart has been stirred. I cannot keep from doing something to end the injustice of slavery and oppression. William Wilberforce brought the Slave Trade Abolition Bill before Parliament nearly every year for 20 years before it was passed in 1807. Then he continued for 26 more years to end slavery itself in British colonies. A few months before his death, he proposed before parliament the petition for the Abolishment of Slavery in the British Empire. On July 26, 1833 Wilberforce was notified that the bill had been passed. Three days later, William Wilberforce died. He spent his life in the fight to give others freedom. Wilberforce's work needs to be continued.
Will you join me in the fight against injustice? Do you need a nudge to get off the starting line? Read Isaiah 58 (I especially like it in The Message) and read it as if God is talking to you...face to face. Then, pray how God wants to use you to be His light in our dark world. I invite anyone to join me on the journey...I will soon be starting a 'Justice Learning Community' with the purpose of first, learning about the Biblical call to seek justice and then, to explore ways to engage in the fight against injustice. Please contact me if you are interested.
To respond to this message, email Kim at kim.hjelm@gmail.com.
