Justice

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. - Martin Luther King Jr. 

The Civil War and the Holocaust have always intrigued me. I think it's because there's a common theme of fighting for justice. I am awed at how cruelly people were treated in both circumstances. However, something I have trouble grasping is that there is still injustice all over the world today. In Asia, families are paid for their children because they can't afford the cost of taking care of them. Many of them are never seen again. In Africa, orphaned girls are forced to sell their bodies in order to provide food for their siblings. Believe it or not, there is child slavery right here in the United States! I have always thought, "Surely, if I was alive in the time of the Civil War, I would have been an advocate for slaves," or, "I can't believe there were Christians around during the Holocaust who did nothing to help!" But really, I'm not different.  A lot of times, we Christians either choose to be ignorant about the subject of slavery and injustice, or we think that there is nothing we can do to help, so we just try to blot it out of our minds. I hope that this is a reminder that we need to be doing something about injustice in the world- hey I'm even reminding myself! I pray that you heart is stirred to take action for those in bondage across the ocean or in your back yard. Here are some links to sites that help in the fight against injustice:

International Justice Mission- Learn about the youth-lead program "Loose Change to Loosen Chains"

Invisible Children- Help children who are/were forced to be soldiers

Compassion International- Watch a video about how you can save a little one from child labor

Children's Hope Chest- Helping impoverished children around the world