Why I stepped away from actively fighting human trafficking

Those of you that know me or have seen my posts on Facebook will know that for a period of time I was very passionate about anti-human trafficking efforts in our area.  I hosted classes, fund raising events, researched, studied, passed out soap, sat in Cleveland court rooms etc.  While I am still passionate about my stand against this crime and my desire to help restore victims, I have chosen to step away from active involvement for now.  I feel like I owe an explanation so as not to look like a fair weathered advocate. 

I won't share all of the details, but I will say that for some reason God laid this issue on my heart.  Perhaps I jumped at the chance to get involved because I was looking for something to do after I left my job, or perhaps I just was so bothered by the issue that I had to act.  It was probably a bit of both actually.  Either way, I do believe that God has a purpose for all things and I don't regret my brief involvement.  I trust that God will use this experience in my life for His glory.  The truth is that the enemy is heavily involved in human trafficking...that is probably an understatement.  I truly believe that he wanted me to be discouraged...which I was most of the time.  I also wonder if God was ever calling me to this work or if it was something that I just wanted to do?  I continued to run into roadblock after discouraging roadblock.  I continued to have this feeling of dread...I ran into ugly turf wars about who was "allowed" to talk about anti trafficking and who wasn't.  I was called fearful and accused of not being a "go getter".  All along I felt like it was just the enemy..and it probably was...but I wonder too if it was also the fact that God wasn't in it?  Why wouldn't God want me to fight human trafficking?  As awful as it is he HAD to be calling me to be involved, right?  Perhaps not...

Sometimes I think we feel like we can do everything...or that we SHOULD do everything.  With Facebook, Pinterest, and blogs like this one, I think we tend to compare ourselves to everyone else. We feel like we have to raise our kids like James Dobson did, or cook like the pioneer woman in order to be a good wife/mom/woman/child of god?  The truth is that God calls us uniquely...he doesn't ask us to do all of the good things...and he doesn't ask us to do things the same way.  There are a lot of people who are doing things differently or better than me...but that has to be ok. I can only do what God has asked me to...and those other things will just have to wait...maybe indefinitely.  

So, while I'm not actively rescuing women from sex trafficking, I am still committed to educate, raise awareness, and financially support organizations/people that are (see www.joeandsarahpouliot.com).  Right now it is pretty crystal clear that God has called me to know him more deeply, love and care for my husband, parent my children, and to minister in our church.  My new adventure is a ministry called Mommyhood.  I'll talk about this later... :)

Have you ever got involved in something that looking back you felt as if you may have "jumped the gun" on God?