Is it possible to live slave free?

God has been challenging me lately and asking whether I am willing to radically change the way I live my life so that I can truly love my neighbour.  My answer is yes, but when you consider your neighbour as anyone that your life and choices impacts, it becomes a very different proposition.  It appears to affect everything.  As I have been reading, praying and thinking about this over the last few weeks I have become more and more aware how hard it is to live a life that you can guarantee is slave free.  By slave free, I mean that does not include products that have had slaves involved in their creation at any stage.  The problem is that slavery has become so prevalent and it is everywhere, not just in distant places but here in the UK too. 

So, I know my life is going to radically change over the next few weeks and months as I consider what I buy, where it comes from and who has been involved in making it.  This has already started and this blog is mainly about the changes I have already made and the ones that I know are coming. 

However, as I am writing this on a MacBook, I am very aware that I have no idea as to the impact that Apple have throughout the world, good or bad.  Thankfully, I am not currently looking to buy any new technology but am very aware that when I next need a new phone or a new computer, the choices open to me, if I want to know my purchase is slave free, may be greatly reduced.  That though, is a consideration for another day. 

In my last blog on this subject, I mentioned that slavery is everywhere and that many industries are affected.  There have been examples in the UK of slaves being used in agriculture, in picking and processing our fruit and vegetables.  How then do I make sure that my fruit and veg is slave free?  I have found a local collective of small holders who grow and pick their own vegetables and sell them too.  It is a much more expensive way for me to buy my vegetables.  It is also different as you do not know what you are getting (except for the staples of potatoes, carrots and onions), you just get what is seasonal and ready.  Despite the expense and not knowing what I might have in the box (which I’m choosing to see as a fun surprise), I am thankful that I can know that the vegetables that I eat every week are truly slave free. 

So that’s my weekly veggies sorted but what about my other purchases?  As I said previously, God first talked to me about these issues over 2 years ago and at that time I knew he was talking to me about Amazon.  I was appalled at some of the things that you can buy on Amazon, including books on how to be a sex tourist.  However, if I am honest, I was not ready to radically change my lifestyle at that time and so I continued to be a member of Amazon Prime.  Recently though, my membership was up for renewal and after a very timely discussion with a friend, I knew that the right thing to do was end my membership.  This wasn’t just about some of the things that they sell, but also about the fact that when shopping on Amazon I don’t have to consider my purchase, where it’s from or who was concerned in making it.  It was just too easy!

So, I cancelled my membership and then very quickly needed to order some books, previously, I would have just gone on to Amazon and had them delivered the next day.  Not this time though.  First, I went to Waterstones, the only book shop that we now have in the city centre of Leicester but they did not have the book on human rights that I wanted.  Next, a search on the internet found the book I wanted from Blackwell’s bookstore and so I ordered it.  A few days later, a group of ladies that I meet with suggested a book for us to read together.  This time though I was able to order it through the local Christian bookshop.  One good thing of stopping Amazon is that I am walking into town more and therefore, getting more exercise!  Thank you Jesus. 

I never thought before about how easy it is just to pop on Amazon and buy something but now that I am not using it, I am having to consider my purchases and it is all good.  So, my thoughts so far are:

I will buy British wherever I can and source locally where that is available.

I will buy second hand and use charity shops where possible.

I am open to suggestions!

It’s funny but some of these things are good just because they are about loving my neighbour who lives near me and not just caring for my neighbour who lives on the other side of the world.  They are also good for the world and fit with my desire to care for the planet as best I can.  As Kris Vallotten would say, that makes it a win-win and that is always good!

Lastly, I have been in touch with a local charity that work into the brothels in Leicester and hope to be volunteering with them in the near future.  I know that as I believe to see the end of slavery worldwide, I need to start by knowing what is going on locally and getting involved there too. 

So, I am excited about where this journey is taking me as I continue to be obedient to the next steps as God shows them to me.  Again, can I encourage you to step out in obedience with whatever God is asking of you because if we all do our little bit, this world we live in will look a lot more like heaven – what a glorious thought!

Happy heart!  Blessed indeed!