Monday, October 15, 2012

Hanging by a Thread

My Pastor, Ken Hill, was a former Lieutenant Colonel in the Air-force. He always seems to find spiritual analogies for his sermons related to his plethora of "man sports" that he loves to engage in. I'm talking about extreme sports that involve guns, parachutes, and cliff hangers. One sermon really stood out to me, probably because I related to it so much during this particular season in our ministry. 

Pastor Ken teaches people how to successfully and safely scale a wall.  I'm talking about rock climbing. I won't even make an attempt to tackle the technical terminology that he uses, but simply put, he wanted everyone on his excursion to understand how to properly tie a knot. As they all scaled this steep incline the leader would properly set his pins, tie his knots, and wait as those that followed did the same. You see, every person that he was training would be attached to the same rope. The purpose being that if one of the climbers slipped and began to fall the others with solid footing would be able to support him and keep him safe. In essence every person in the chain would be completely dependent upon the quality of the rope, the security of the pins that are set, but most importantly the knot that each member before him ties. If there is a slip or a slide a member of the team could literally be hanging by that knot.

I have done some simple hiking up a little mountain and the only danger that I encountered was that my water bottle ran dry and I got thirsty. But then again my car was only 20 minutes down the path and a quick drive to the nearest convenience store for a bottle of Gatorade kept me from deaths door.

I can tell you with all certainty that if I were in the chain of hikers scaling a mountain with Pastor Ken and knew that my life would hang in the knot tying skills of my climbing mates, they would certainly need to show me their knots before the climb ever started ... and visa versa, I'm sure.

To be honest, I don't remember the point of Pastor Ken's sermon from that moment on because I was too busy hearing what the Lord was speaking to my heart about the integrity of my words and my commitments. The Jubilee Market is not a one man show. There are organizations, team members and most importantly rescued women and children that rely on the integrity of our commitments. We are a team. A network of people and organizations moving in the same direction linked together and moving toward a common cause. Empowering survivors or human trafficking to offer them hope of a future and sustainable income. 

As the leader of the Jubilee Market I feel such a sense of responsibility. Sometimes it keeps me awake at night because I know that there are women and children and organizations that are hanging from the "knot" of our commitment to help establish vocational centers, train in product development and most importantly market and sell the products that they have shipped to us. I see every piece of jewelry or handbag as a bowl of rice that will feed a family, or a rent check that will sustain a vocational center for another month. 

If you are part of the Jubilee Market Team, thank you! You are desperately needed. You bring value that only you can bring using skills, talents and tools that God has blessed you with for this moment in history...the deliverance of victims from the clutches of slavery. If you have committed to a position on our team you, in essence, have committed to a responsibility and we are hanging from the "knot" of your words and your commitment. If you fail in your commitment it is a chain reaction that effects everyone and every department and in the end, those who we serve. 

I would challenge you to never commit lightly to a place on ANY team and when you do, don't be offended if the integrity of your knot is challenged. So many people will be affected and possibly "hanging" by your commitment. 

You are valuable. You are needed. Brush up your knot tying skills and join the team! 

In comradeship,

Liz Glover,
Founder & President

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:10
 

No comments:

Post a Comment