World Change Begins at Home
At a recent gathering, Sergeant Mike Geiger shared his story of leading a team of detectives who fight the underground world of sex trafficking in Portland, Oregon. This dark world steals the souls of hundreds of thousands of girls world wide, and Portland is one of the leading US cities where sex traffickers thrive. Sergeant Geiger stated that though his primary goal is to put every pimp behind bars, he believes that if there were no buyers, there would be no sex trafficking, and no job for pimps in the first place. He went on to say that the real fight, and the more difficult one, is in the home of every little girl and boy. He said that if little girls knew their true value and little boys learned from a young age that girls are not objects, but beautiful creations to be treated with respect and care, this epidemic would shrivel.
As a mother and Marriage & Family Therapist, this brought me to tears as I thought of the truth in his statement. To think that the most prominent fight against this horrific crime needs to be in our homes — as we eat dinner around the table, spend quality time playing games together, and tell our children we love them — brings a grown woman to her knees. The ones most vulnerable are the ones who desperately search for love, often feeling worthless inside. These are the easy prey for such predators; they are intrigued with the sudden attention from groomers and are coerced to believe that the attention means something. The hole inside is temporarily filled; the void lessens and is replaced by words of affirmation, lies and promises that will never be fulfilled.
Raising two girls in a world that routinely sells 10 year-olds as sex slaves, I am determined to help my daughters know that they are loved as they are, just as they were created; not for what they do or how they perform for others. I am determined to show them deep love in simple and profound ways; not in what I buy for them, but in how I turn and look them in their eyes as they ask me a question or beg me to look at their hundredth drawing for the day. Developing a child’s whole heart is not easy; it’s probably the most challenging job on the planet but anyone can do it!
Thank you to the men and women on the front lines, such as Sergeant Geiger, his detectives, and ministries like Door to Grace, who usher girls coming out of sex trafficking into homes of true love and grace. Thank you to the families who come alongside these girls to help them heal. And thank you to parents of little boys who are taking time to teach their little men that they are more than their sex drive and how to respect and honor the girls around them. Thank you, also, to the parents who are teaching their girls to have a voice and stand up for themselves, valuing their dreams, their hopes and their bodies.
Whether we are leading a ministry to save these children or simply leading the children in our home, we are participating and positively influencing the world around us. Consider how you can make a difference in this fight as you read to your child this evening. And if you are led to do more for the cause of victims of sex trafficking, visit Door to Grace for detailed information. The best leaders start in their own life, and then help others do the same.
