Hourglass

Maybe we are all looking for a little motivation. It's dead week for some of us students and it seems that we spend more time on facebook in this single week than we do all year. I know for me, I find things to do that I usually dread doing; running, showering, etc. Just about anything sounds better than sitting, trapped in a building with my nose in a book. We have little motivation until we realize we have only a little bit of time left before the exams. We realize that the sand in the hourglass is running out, so we force ourselves to get busy.

Luckily, we have an hourglass that we can plan our study habits around. We are given a date that we can put in our planners which reminds us that after that date, we will never have to worry about that material again. However, this is not the case in most other areas of life.

If you have been around for a minute, you've picked up on my passion for women who have been forced into the sex trade by human trafficking. There are also other issues that are heavy on my heart... depression, self-mutilation - all dealing with bondage and satan's strongholds.

Many of us don't deal with these issues today. Some of us have, some of us do, but none of us have to. We were not created to be held hostage by these horrific chains.

For those of us who do struggle with these issues, it is vital that we reach out and ask for help. We were not created to do life alone, and God never intended for us to figure out all of life's scary questions by ourselves.

If you have never struggled with these issues, perfect. If you have, and you've been set free, even better. We have to do something about this for our friends. We can never be sure when their hourglass will run out. We do not have time to mess around.

Currently, 27 million people are enslaved around the world due to human trafficking. The United States is the prime destination for sex-trafficked victims, and Oklahoma is the 4th leading state where sex-trafficking occurs.

Today, 1 in 5 teenage girls and 1 in 7 teenage boys partake in cutting themselves. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 24. It is the 2nd leading cause of death for college students.

This is a cry for help.

Be intentional in everything you do and say to the people around you. You have absolutely no idea how close to the end of their rope they are - your words bring either heaven or hell to earth.

We have the resources to transform these numbers. These cases are real people with faces and stories. We must devote ourselves to loving people. People must always be restored. Invest your time into someone. Walk alongside someone. See that you are intentionally interrupting peoples' lives with the utmost respect, love and grace. Meet people where they are.

We don't have all day - the hourglass is running.