Content warning: This devotion mentions child trafficking.
Nicholas was a third-century bishop who lived in what is now Turkey. According to legend, he learned about a poor man who had three daughters to marry off. This man could not pay the dowry for his girls, meaning they would be sold into slavery – also known as child trafficking. When Nicholas learned about the family’s plight, late one night he quietly waited outside their house and threw coins in their window. The father used the money to save his daughters from slavery.
I love this story of St. Nicholas because I, too, work to end child trafficking. If this is an issue that makes you angry – the kind of God-inspired anger that keeps you up at night – spend some time this Advent season asking God about your role in this fight. You do have one. It may take some digging. God used what was already in me (gifts of writing). During Advent, craft your own unique solution to help stop trafficking. What a wonderful Christmas present you’ll give yourself – and to many children around the world.
This message is excerpted from “St. Nicholas worked against trafficking, so can we” by Diana Scimone in the December 2015 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 342.
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