Each of us has something.
No matter how disadvantaged, unskilled, or limited we feel, God has placed a unique gift in our hands. Maybe it’s a chance to speak, maybe an empty room in our house, maybe a lifelong hobby, maybe a tenderness in our heart. These pieces of our lives can feel disconnected, like scattered jewelry charms that seem to serve no purpose together.
Can A Bracelet Really Change the World?
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them… (Romans 12:6a, NKJV)
Each of us has something.
No matter how disadvantaged, unskilled, or limited we feel, God has placed a unique gift in our hands. Maybe it’s a chance to speak, maybe an empty room in our house, maybe a lifelong hobby, maybe a tenderness in our heart. These pieces of our lives can feel disconnected, like scattered jewelry charms that seem to serve no purpose together.
We see huge problems, like the disgrace of sex-trafficking, and wonder what we can do. We may think some of our pieces are silly and useless.
But don’t throw any of those pieces away! If we hand them to God, He will bind them together in His perfect plan, just like a beautiful bracelet.
Megan Etcheberry is a young woman who is using the pieces of her life to help others. She grew up in Oregon, loves horses and jewelry, and is on a reality TV show called “Rodeo Girls”, living for Jesus under the stare of the cameras and the pressure to conform to this world. As a Christian, she can often seem like the “odd one out” on a show that is certainly not Christ-centered. She deserves praise and encouragement for being a witness and courageously staying true to her convictions while God has given her this mission field. Megan has taken her God-given gifts, and is using them to bring light to some dark places in this world.
Megan was a freshman at Portland State when she heard a presentation on sex-trafficking. She had not been aware of the issue before, and was shocked to learn that her home city of Portland was one of the largest centers for the trade in the U.S. From then on, the issue was in her heart, and she read up on it and sought ways to get involved.
Megan and her mom began a ministry called Reins of Grace from their home, bringing trafficking survivors out to the country to ride horses and benefit from the healing those creatures can bring. Some friends of Megan’s started a ministry called Door to Grace that provides restorative care, safe shelter, and resources for kids rescued from sex-trafficking. Megan attended a fundraising auction for the ministry, and while there, she had an “aha!” moment.
Megan had always loved jewelry, so much so that she tended to over-accessorize. She realized that it would be the ideal way for her to get involved. She could design and sell jewelry to raise money for Door to Grace.Getting on the show “Rodeo Girls” opened a bigger platform for her. She started her ETCH jewelry line, a collection of bold and beautiful accessories. She designed a special bracelet called “Breaking Chains”, part of the sales of which go to Door to Grace. The bracelet represents finding freedom, not just from sex-trafficking, but from all forms of bondage.
I asked Terri Conlin, a member of the Door to Grace Board and Chair of the Key2Free Auction, to give some thoughts, and she said: “Megan dared to believe she has a voice and to act upon that voice. In creating a jewelry line that benefits survivors of sex-trafficking, she is forming community and making a difference in her world. Breaking Chains is her passionate answer to the brokenness in all of our lives and the tragedy of modern-day slavery.”
Since releasing the Breaking Chains bracelet, Megan has seen a lot of testimonies on Twitter from people who have found freedom from many forms of bondage—like poor self-image, bad relationships, eating disorders, and addictions. She wants those who are struggling toward freedom to know this: “God is good. Keep faith, keep your eyes and your heart fixed on Him, and He’ll get you through anything.”
About Megan’s Reins of Grace ministry and Breaking Chains, Terri Conlin says, “Megan has invited survivors out to her family home to ride horses and see the country life for the first time in their lives. She was just being Megan who loves her dog, her horses, and her family. She used her passions for God.”
When I asked Megan if she felt a personal, emotional connection with the survivors, she paused, then said yes. “But I don’t see them as being different than anyone else. I’ve always felt my heart drawn toward young girls, and I just relate to them as friends.”
Terri agrees. “We are all broken people designed by God with stories to tell and contributions to make to our community and our world. We are made to do that, not in isolation, but together with others.” Terri wants girls who are getting free of bondage to know this: “You are beautiful and beloved. You were created by a God who has good plans for you. Your community needs you and your healthy voice. We are better for spending time with you and hearing you story, the old one and the new one. We wish we had met you sooner.”
Do you feel a desire to do something, but think that you don’t have much to give?
You can pray. God is listening and mighty to act. You can talk about sex-trafficking to people. Let them know what’s going on in their own city, and spread the word about those who are making a difference. And if God is calling you, you can give yourself.
Megan encourages you that there are many organizations in the Portland area which you can volunteer for and donate to. She especially wants to see ones like Door to Grace encouraged, because they don’t just rescue girls, but help them build a new life. Their mission is to bring freedom and family to Portland’s sexually-trafficked children. If you’re interested in getting involved with Door to Grace specifically— “We welcome you!” Terri says. “We need everyone! All hearts, gifts, talents, time, resources and seasons of life. We are all in the fight for justice and freedom together. I wonder what else someone could do to bring freedom and family to a sexually exploited child?”
What “jewelry charms” do you have in your hands? Let the Master get to work on a bracelet for you.
