Our August blog is written by Cathy Martin.  Cathy is the Operations Director at Freedom and Restoration for Everyone Enslaved.  What can I say about Cathy?  Well, to start, she is one smart lady.  She is the one who builds structure within the organization and makes sure everything is organized and running smoothly.  From working on our website, to creating our strategic plan and policies and procedures for our organization; she is someone I know I can count on, and she is exactly what we needed in the organization.  We are grateful she came on board.  I am grateful to have her a part of FREE, and I am also grateful to call her a friend.  Below is her blog titled, A Piece of His Heart.  I  know you will enjoy reading it just as much as I did.

Blessings,

Andrea McHenry

Executive Director, Freedom and Restoration for Everyone Enslaved

A Piece of His Heart

By Cathy Martin 

Mental Illnesses. Substance Abuse. Hunger. Homelessness. Teen Pregnancy. Illiteracy. Undocumented Immigrants. Human Trafficking.

Living and working in Reading, I hear about these issues every day. These are issues Reading is dealing with on a daily basis. There’s an organization dedicated to each one of these issues. In many cases, two or three.

Chances are, you’re already familiar with them. You’ve seen and experienced the pain and brokenness of each of these situations, and you want to help. You want to make a difference. But it’s overwhelming. Every organization is asking you to volunteer. To donate money. But my guess is, you’re way too busy to even think of volunteering at one more place. And money’s tight. You want to be generous, but it’s not realistic to think of giving money to everyone!

You know God cares about each of these issues. His heart is for the broken. For the hurting. He longs to bring healing and restoration, belonging and love to the lonely, fullness for the hungry. If you are a believer, you carry God’s heart within you. You care for the broken too. You want to see healing and restoration. But where do you begin?

Maybe feeling overwhelmed shuts you down. Maybe seeing and hearing about all the issues leaves you silent and unsure how to help instead of motivating you to action.

I’ve thought a lot about this. Every issue stirs my heart, but how do I work that out practically? One thing God has shown me is that He has given each of us a special piece of His heart. There’s probably one group of people or one issue in particular that goes a bit deeper in your heart. You care a little more. That’s the issue that makes you angry. That’s the people who make you cry. You raise your voice when you talk about it. You read the whole article on Facebook. You tell your spouse what you heard.

Pay attention to that. Feed it. Read more and find ways to learn more. Talk about it. See how God wants you to be involved in that one issue. That’s the piece of His heart that He’s given to you. He will reveal ways for you to be involved.

But you know what else I’ve learned? That issue that you are passionate about? It’s connected to all the others. There are common themes and threads that connect every problem. We are a community. And while you carry one piece, I carry a different piece. Maybe you care passionately about immigrant issues.  Guess what? Immigrants are often hungry. Immigrants are often illiterate. Immigrants are at a higher risk for trafficking, both labor and sex trafficking. So when you care for your piece, you are lifting my load and vice versa.

So even if human trafficking isn’t that one issue that can keep you up at night, that’s ok. But realize, it’s still an issue. You can still care. You might not shout about it like you will when it comes to hungry people or lonely kids. But you can still care. And you should still stay informed. Read more. And when you hear someone talking negatively about prostitutes, say a few words about trafficking. Educate others about the issue of trafficking. The more informed you are, the more you will be able to connect others who may discover their passion is for human trafficking. And when you are caring for that one piece of God’s heart that you carry, you may see signs of trafficking or abuse as well. The more you know, the more you can help.

Whatever you do, don’t let that feeling of being overwhelmed shut you down. Ask God what piece of His heart he’s given specifically to you. If it is human trafficking we’d love to have you. But if it’s something else, that’s ok. Follow us anyway. Be aware. Be educated. And take that education with you to help you care more wholly for those God has given you.