Never In a Million Years...

Everybody dreams -- as a child -- what they would like to be when they grow up. Years go by and those dreams shift and mature, and with time, the potential starts to fade. Our focus becomes narrower -- more confined -- to the things we feel are suitable for our quality of life.
We may think, "Well, this is it. This is my purpose in life, my infinitesimal mark on history..."

But then you hand God your life.

You entrust to Him everything you've ever wished for, dreamed of, or imagined.
It's not an act of desperation so much as a decision.
This decision could be made in a moment of sheer frustration -- when you think your life couldn't get any worse... or any more mundane.
Or it may simply be a longing deep within which keeps tugging at your conscience, letting you know there is SO much more to life than this.

Never in a million years would I have pictured myself where I am today.
The married with 3 children part is fairly typical, and something for which I feel profoundly blessed, but nothing else has turned out like I planned.

And that's a good thing.

--> Never in a million years would I have believed I would be writing a book about my very personal and shame-filled struggle with my weight.
--> Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would be leading a group of ladies who have spent years battling food addiction and feelings of self-loathing and utter futility.
--> Never in a million years would I have thought I would be spending my Friday nights going into strip clubs and into the darkest parts of the inner city to reach out to workers of the sex trade industry, letting them know that they are not forgotten.
--> And never once did I dream that my fire and passion for human justice, civil rights, and child protection would evolve into a war against human trafficking.

But that's what God does.
We offer Him the ordinary, the mundane existence we live each day, and He turns our world upside down. He shows us the extent of His power and compassion. He opens our eyes to all that has evaded our glance. And He breaks our heart for those who are crying out to be rescued.

These weren't the dreams of my childhood.
These are eternal aspirations.
And I have no regrets.

If you would like more information re: the anti-human trafficking movement, I highly recommend two movies, in particular:
Human Trafficking starring Mira Sorvino &
Trade starring Kevin Klein

You can also learn more by visiting our website: www.traffickinghope.org