Advocacy: Change in Action

There was a long time ago when I wrote a blog post about my four power words.  One of my four power words was to advocate or to show advocacy.  I believe that this word is one that is often talked about, but it is maybe not fully understood in its fullest potential and meaning.  There are a few different definitions or ways that we can look at this word. The one definition of advocacy from Cambridge Dictionary is “public support for an idea, plan, or way of doing something:”  This means that there is a person who wants to support a certain idea or a plan that will impact a majority of people.  

What exactly then do I mean by advocacy?  This can mean a few different things, but all of the main ways I am thinking about advocacy in regards to this blog post is referring to talking to the people that are in our government about the issues and the concerns to hopefully get them fixed.  I mean talking to the members of Congress through various different forms.  This could be signing a petition or sending a thoughtfully worded email.   Then there are also ways that one can call a person in position of power and try to make changes based on what is happening in the world.  

One of the main things that I would say that I am a major advocate for is anti-human trafficking and anti-modern day slavery.  There are many reasons that I am fighting against this so hard, and it has become my biggest passion throughout my life, even if it originally started out as just an extra curricular that I could do when I was in college to look better on my resumé.  However as I learned more and more about the problems and the slavery that is in the world, I could not just stand by through hearing the stories and the problems and not do anything to stop it.  

Another way to think of advocacy is to think of advocating or helping someone else.  This may even just be defending someone.  There are many times when people need someone else to defend them.   Every single person has experienced a time when we have seen someone being bullied or made fun of in front of us.  It can be really easy to pretend as though we do not see it.  This can also be when we see someone being made fun of from a distance and it is when they are certainly not there to defend themselves.  It can become especially easy to not defend another person when they are not around, but that is when it becomes the most prevalent and we can really show our loyalty and love to them from a distance.  

There are many reasons that I say advocacy is very important.  One of those reasons is that it teaches the importance of selflessness.  When one is focused on advocacy, they are less focused on themselves.  They are thinking about people on a larger scale.  You are not just fighting for an individual person, but rather a large group of people.  You are working for the world to be a better place for all individuals.  

Secondly, the Lord also thought that advocacy was important.  It is commonly mentioned in the bible when Jesus reminded everyone that they need to take care of the widows, homeless, and those who do not know the Lord.  However, the Bible even mentioned the idea of advocacy as early as Proverbs.  In Proverbs 31 8:-9, it says,  “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”  The Lord wants everyone to speak up for those who are helpless and not as strong.  He finds them just as valuable as anyone else, even when the world does not.  There are those moments when it can be easier to look away from someone being hurt or ridiculed, but the life of a Christian was never one that was meant to be easy.  

Thirdly, the other important piece of advocacy is being able to use your voice.  The United States has a government where the people have an opportunity to be a part of the decisions and changes that are being made.  This means more than just getting the chance to vote for who will be in presidency and who will be governor.  We also have an opportunity to talk to those who are in power.   A majority of their job is to listen to the people who they are in charge of.   There are many times when we can believe that we are not contributing to the world that we are in.  We can see the bad things that are happening in the United States.  This can leave us feeling hopeless and helpless.  When one advocates and chooses to use their voice for a positive outcome, we can actually make an impact and make a change.  

At the end of the day, I am a big believer in one finding something they are passionate about and being willing to fight and make changes out there in the world.  This can be at a small scale when you are willing to save or help the person standing next to you to the bigger scale of fighting for a major cause you believe in.  Go out there and find your passion and make this world an overall better place.