In My Place

The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind to set the oppressed free to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Luke 4:18-19

When reading this verse before, I like many people, tended to spirtitualize it. I looked at it as uplifting the poor in spirit, helping those imprisoned to sin and being a light for those that have lost their way. While this is still true, being in Cambodia has helped show me how tangible this verse really can be.

There are a lot of atrocious things going on in our world today, but so often we don't step out of our comfort zone to take notice. Even if we do, we have yet to understand the depth and breadth of the darkness that surrounds us. Being in Siem Reap there are so many socioeconomic issues that human trafficking can almost fade into the background. Sure I've seen children begging, and several women walking the streets, but with so many brothels parading behind cafés, beer gardens and karaoke bars, its easy to overlook the scale of the issue here.

During our meeting with International Justice Mission (IJM) yesterday, we learned a lot more about the state of human trafficking in Siem Reap. There are so many things contributing to the commercial sex industry here that it can be frustrating as a volunteer or mission worker. Even Bonnie, one of the Social Work Advisors for IJM talked about this sense of "empowered helplessness," and she spoke of it as a good thing. She said when she first got here she thought she was going to make sweeping changes and see an immediate impact, but she quickly learned that wasn't the case. Considering I am only going to be in Cambodia for a number of days, I found this statement to be somewhat disheartening at first. But then she said it was "a blessing from God to remember your place," and I was just dumbfounded at the truth of her statement.

We all have hopes of making an impact and leaving an indelible (and hopefully positive) impression on the world. But sometimes we all need to be humbled and realize that it is not by our own strength. While we may not always understand the purpose or even see the fruits of our efforts, we must take heed and proceed faithfully, as God certainly does have a plan.