Shine a Light and End It

My daughters want to do it.  My daughter-in-law wants to do it.  My sister wants to do it.  All of the younger women in my life constantly talk and share about it.

It isn't cooking.

It isn't shopping.

It isn't exercise, styling your hair, refashioning clothes, getting married, having a baby, buying a house, getting an SUV, raising beautiful perfect children, or following celebrities...it isn't any of the things that seem to be such a big part of this American life, as evidenced by Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook (I don't tweet, but I guess you find all of that there, too.)

The younger women in my life want to end slavery.

Today, as I sat down on the couch in my living room, all set to drink my gallon mug of coffee, catch up on my social media, and do a little knitting whilst I listen to the mellow-voice-man read the book of Ezra to me, I was blinded.

On the east wall of our cozy living room, right next to the front door, there is an antique little window.  It still contains the original glass from when this house was built in the 1920's.  Across the street from our cool, old home, there is an apartment complex.  Every day there are about 5 minutes when the sun comes up and shines over the roof of the apartments and directly through the little window.  It throws rainbows all over the house, and its one of my favorite moments of the morning.  However, I've never been in the direct line of that light before, I've only ever walked through the indirect beams.

As I sat down and opened up my laptop, I saw a big red X on the screen, and then everything went white.  It looked kinda like this:

It made me think...about God's Word as a light for my path - Psalm 119:105; about how God is my everlasting light - Isaiah 60:19; about how we are the light of the world, a city on a hill - Matthew 5:14;  about Jesus shining in the darkness, but the darkness not understanding - John 3:18-20; and mostly, that the night is nearly over, and we should put on our armor of light! - Romans 13:12

As the sun rose higher, and I could again focus, I saw a big red X on my computer screen.  Today is the day the "END IT" movement has asked us to put a red X on our hands in an effort to shine a light on slavery.

So, I'm drawing an X on my hand, I'm forcing myself to watch all the videos that are posted, I'm crying and praying, I'm supporting my daughters, my sister...and all those with no voice.

We must not be silent.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

It may seem that changing a profile picture and drawing a red X on our hands won't do anything, but guess what?  Last year at this time, I could not have told you that the Super Bowl is one of the largest sex-trafficking events in the world...but we all know that now.  Last year, I wouldn't have been able to tell you how many slaves there are estimated in the world, but now we all can rattle 27 million (27 MILLION!!!!) off without even thinking.  We are AWARE.  That's the first step.  Now, are we ready for the next step?

For more info, click this link OR just follow my girls on facebook and click their links.  Its time to let this sink into our hearts and our consciousness.  It really is time to End It.

http://enditmovement.com/

Memorials and Making Memories

Today was a contemplative day.  It all started this morning with a memorial service for a friend who passed away much too soon.  She got the flu, developed pneumonia and was gone before we even knew she was ill.  She was in her mid-fifties.  She was so young.

It was a lovely memorial on a stereo-typical, cold and rainy day.  The room was filled with people from so many different spheres of her life.  It was such a glorious testimony to a life well lived. Our friend was so well loved, because she loved so well.

As is often the case, this caused my husband and me to pause and think about our own life's testimony and to question, "What would people say about us?"  I'd hope there would be a lot of laughter, as was the case this morning, with a sprinkling of tears.  I'd hope there would be friends and family, and hugs, and music, and praise, and rejoicing, and prayer.  I'd hope, like this morning, Jesus would be the focus... and I hope it will be a long, long time from now.

Unlike the family of this dear woman, my husband and I left that occasion and returned to a normal Saturday afternoon.  We ran errands together, baked a cake, and fell asleep on the couch.  We learned fancy new rhumba moves in our dance lesson, and sipped lattes as we talked in hushed voices at our favorite cafe.  We discussed grandbabies and weddings and how much we love this community, realizing the nine years we've lived here is longer than either of us have ever lived in a single community.  We shared how much we love running into people we know and care about everywhere we go and how wonderful it is to know people in different industries that we can call upon with questions or turn to for help.

As the sun, albeit hidden, sets on this day, I got a text from a friend.  "I couldn't find the Cavenders seasoning at Walmart.  Would these spices work for your fish recipe instead?"  I was able to text back, "I'll be there in 10 minutes," as I grabbed my canister of Greek seasoning and jumped in the car.  Six minutes later, I handed the spice to her husband and popped back home as quick as I had left.  It was a tiny thing, really, but its part of that good life well lived...having friends, sharing, smiling, doing life together.

Thank you, Connie Lynn Lawrence, for your life well-lived.  Jesus, thank you for the reminder, through Connie and her family, of what matters most.