Our Stories
I’m Giving Up Slavery for Lent
By Abigail Welborn | posted 02/18/2010
"...[W]hat does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8b, NIV)
During the month of January, while we were learning about the very real problem of modern slavery, or human trafficking, I experienced varying degrees of conviction and a desire to make a difference. Though we heard many stories and learned about many ways to make a difference, one illustration stood out in my mind. Doug was talking about how it’s such a huge problem that we may think we can’t make a difference. After all, he said, a mother of three young kids realistically doesn’t have the time or money to go on a mission trip. However, she probably does most of the purchasing for her family - and what she buys can make all the difference in the world.
He explained that in talking with people who work to combat trafficking at the highest levels, he learned that simply reducing the demand for - in other words, not buying - products that come from people who are vulnerable to poverty is the highest-impact way that anyone can make a difference. Many children who are sold into forced labor come from families who are desperate for money. If families are making a living wage, they won’t be forced to make a choice between selling one child, or letting all their children go hungry.
My first reaction was disbelief. Could it really be that simple? Then I almost felt guilty, as though simply changing my buying habits was so easy that it didn’t count as "making an effort" in the fight against trafficking. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it’s simple in concept, but not so easy in practice.
Consider coffee and cocoa beans. These two crops often earn their farmers barely enough to survive. We want our morning mochas, and we don’t ask where they came from. I’m not trying to make you feel bad - we didn’t know we needed to ask - but now we have no excuse for ignorance. The problem is, I can’t get Fair Trade chocolate just anywhere. We’re lucky to have Theo’s in Seattle, but even at Trader Joe’s, among an entire aisle of chocolate products, there were only two Fair Trade bars, and no chocolate chips, baking cocoa, or hot chocolate mix.
I’m ashamed to admit that I like chocolate so much, I was tempted to shrug and say, "Well, that’s too bad." But then I thought of what David said when he needed to build an altar and one of his subjects offered to give the place to him: "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing" (2 Samuel 24:24 NIV). What kind of person would I be if I refused to be inconvenienced in even the smallest way, so that I could live amidst all that God has blessed me with while other people suffered for my comfort? I don’t even want to think about it.
That’s why I’ve decided to give up slavery - that is, doing something that enables slavery to exist - for Lent. I will not be buying any chocolate that is not sourced Fair Trade between Ash Wednesday and Easter. No Hershey’s. No splurging on cocoa at the espresso stand (unless it happens to be Theo’s). No chocolate lava cake after a fancy dinner. No fondue at the Melting Pot. When I started thinking about it, I couldn’t believe how many places I sometimes buy chocolate! (I do love the stuff.) But we are called not only to do justly - which is a good thing no matter what your attitude is (consider Luke 18:1-8) - but also to love mercy (Micah 6:8). Though I’m excited about making a difference, God still has room to work on my heart before I love it (and he will).
Now, I’m not giving up chocolate I’ve already bought or chocolate that’s given to me - the point is to make a heart-change, not to be legalistic. Even so, I have to say I was surprised by how hesitant I still was to make this commitment. Ideally I could make the pledge for good, but I don’t want to make a promise I can’t follow through on, so for now it’s just for Lent. In the spirit of Lent, of thinking about what Christ sacrificed for us, ways that we can lay down our lives for others, and aligning our hearts with God’s heart, I’m pleased with how appropriate an effort it is.
Whether or not you give up something for Lent, which, after all, could be anything that will remind you to draw closer to God, I encourage you to do some research on modern-day slavery and Fair Trade products. Start with NotForSale, Free2Work, or another group (Creekside’s website and Facebook page have more links). Pick one product that you like (I could "give up" coffee, but I don’t buy it anyway) and consider how you can purchase it more ethically. Then take another small step - write to the companies you’ll no longer be patronizing and explain your decision. Then another - tell others about your decision and encourage them to do the research. One thing leads to another, and you’re fighting slavery!
Abigail can be reached via email here. She would love to talk with you more about her decision and ways that you can get involved. Find her at church, on Facebook, or in e-mail.
