#EndItMovement and What Comes Next
27 million.
That’s how many men, women and children are in slavery. Right now.
Can you picture what 27 million of anything looks like?
Only 2.1 million people fit tightly squeezed on the National Mall in DC. So fill that up with people 13 times, and you have 27 million.
Only 8 million or so people live in the entire state of Virginia. So three times the entire population, and you have 27 million.
The Georgia Dome (and the place where the #enditmovement launched at Passion) only holds 71,000. Fill the dome up 380 times, and you have 27 million.
Can you wrap your head around those numbers? Can you fathom that slavery exists today, in 2014, to that magnitude? If you can, or even if you can’t, can you stomach that? Can you be okay with that?
I can’t. I want it ended. I want my generation to be the one that ends slavery.
Today, February 27, red Xs are on the hands of thousands of people around the world. It’s a sign that we are in it to end it. But it isn’t enough.
#enditmovement is trending on Twitter in the United States. But that isn’t enough.
Freedom fighters and IJM and other justice initiatives are standing up and raising awareness and dedicating their work to breaking chains and bringing freedom, but it isn’t enough.
A Twitter trend and a red X on your hand and a hashtag alone won’t save 27 million people from bondage.
But Jesus can. And Jesus will. And He needs us, all of us. Our hands, our hearts, our resources, our passions, our creativity, our prayer.
Together, with the Prince of Peace and Redeemer of the Universe, with all believers and brothers and sisters and humans on this earth, we can end it.
It’s more than a trendy cause. It’s more than that #enditmovement hashtag. We can’t sit back after sending out a tweet and just hope it ends itself. We need to join in. We need to fight the good fight.
I believe God’s heart is for justice. I believe His heart is for mercy. I believe He wants to hold his beloved children close, free from bondage and free from chains and free from slavery. And I believe we, as His people, are His hands and His feet and the ones on this earth to bring His kingdom to every end of it. May today be a day of awareness, but may it be more than that. May this be a launchpad for a generation of freedom fighters committed to doing whatever it takes to end it. May this be the start of the end. May this be a day where we unite and open eyes and hearts around the world, and may it be a day of momentum pushing us forward to end slavery once and for all.
I’m in it to end it. Are you? learn more here