March 2025 - She's Price(d) Less - The Salvation Army USA National Women's Ministries

She’s Price(d)Less

Related Scripture: Galatians 3:28 NIV

Introduction

When is the last time you really paid attention to the product labels for items you purchase and use. Labels are important to product packaging, especially if it’s a food label and you have dietary restrictions or allergies. These labels may include when the product was made and where, but they do not tell the story of how that product was made. Maybe you really love a certain coffee or chocolate, but if you found out how it was made you may think differently. Meet women chocolate farmers facing adversity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP5NR3BbdKE

Many products are made with the money being the goal, instead of people. Unethical labor practices exist in many places around the globe and a majority of the time it is the female worker that suffers most. The International Labour Organization (ILO), an agency of the United Nations that works to advance social justice and promote decent work, states “Around the world, when women are employed, they tend to work in low-quality jobs in vulnerable conditions, and there is little improvement forecast in the near future.” The ILO has a plethora of information on the gender gap and employment barriers for women: https://www.ilo.org/infostories/en-GB/Stories/Employment/barriers-women#intro

It is the most vulnerable, usually women, who get locked into labor conditions that are undesirable with no way out. Globally, women are more likely to have work conditions that are unsafe and do not pay a livable wage. Around the world, women are not treated equitably. This looks different from country to country, but the root problem is the same. Though women make up the majority of people producing food, they rarely receive their share of the benefits of their hard labor. Women in these farming communities often don’t have control of the money they earn, are not able to own land or crops, don’t have access to education, training, or supplies, are discriminated against when applying for credit, and in some places made to take a pregnancy test before being allowed to work. (https://www.fairtradeamerica.org/why-fairtrade/explore-the-issues/gender-equality/)

As Salvationists, these issues should concern us since God has made it clear in His Word that we should not oppress the poor and needy. Deuteronomy 24:14-15 states “Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.Pay them their wages each day before sunset because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise, they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.”

One way we can advocate for women, who the world would seek to exploit, is through our own everyday purchases. Supporting fair trade is a way of fighting for workers’ rights and promoting gender equality. It is a way that you can take part in making sure the Biblical principle of not taking advantage of a worker is lived out. No longer are fair trade products just the expensive ones in a single aisle of the grocery store. Many companies are realizing that people care how their products are made and how it impacts others. This isn’t a new idea though for Salvationists. Early Salvationists had a say in women’s unsafe labor practices in the matchbox factories of Victorian England. Learn about how The Salvation Army played a part in ensuring women were safe and paid a fair wage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGmv9q6j2tg

The Salvation Army has been able to give women fair wages for over 25 years through Others Trade for Hope. Others is a Salvation Army initiative using fair trade principles to fight poverty. The Salvation Army has been creating jobs that transform the lives of artisans globally by paying fair wages. These jobs help to end poverty in places like Kenya and Bangladesh. A particular priority for Others is to ensure that women are given access to paid employment and the opportunity to earn their own income. Items are sold online and make great gifts for birthdays and holidays. Learn how The Salvation Army is combatting this issue. Check the website: https://www.tradeforhope.com/about-others

Get Involved:

Serve Fair Trade Coffee at corps fellowship times; use this time to educate people on buying fair trade products.
Take a Fair Trade Community Trip to find places that sell fair trade merchandise.
Organize a Community Fair Trade Sale at the Corps.
Pay attention to the products you purchase and try to make any changes that you can. Starting small is okay!
Stop purchasing from companies that you know do not use fair labor practices. The cheaper the product, the more likely it is that labor practices do not match up. Take some time to research why they are so cheap.

Devotion:

^“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:26-28 NIV).

Women seem to be valued less than men in many parts of the world. Unfair pay and labor practices for women seek to devalue them as God’s creation. However, in God’s Kingdom that is not the case, value comes from a different place. Paul writes to the Galatians to clarify where their true worth lies. No longer are they solely identified by the race, class, or gender that they were born into, but are now identified by their immersion into the faith.

When we repent and believe in Jesus, He clothes us so that those differences are not what is seen. There is no need to say I am a Jewish/Gentile/Slave/Free/ Male/Female believer, but simply I am a believer in Jesus as my Savior. What should be clearly seen is Jesus living in the believer.

We categorize ourselves in many ways. You may be a friend, aunt, sister, wife, mother, worker, retiree, differently abled, veteran, well-educated, no education, wealthy, middle class, or lower income. Those are labels you use because in our society we like to group and divide. In God’s kingdom things operate differently. In God’s kingdom you only need one label to cover you. No label of ours is more important than our identity as a child of God. This is the only label where you find your true worth.

How comfortable would you be to rip off all the labels that you have come to identify as “you” and simply relabel yourself as “child of God?” Is this idea scary or freeing? It may be scary at first but is actually freeing. When you repented and believe in Jesus Chris, you’re set free. You are a child of God. No longer do you have to meet anyone else’s expectations of who/what you should or shouldn’t be as long as you are living in obedience to God as put forth in His word. This understanding makes you more profitable than silver and will yield a better return in your life than gold. Your value will be more precious than rubies. (Proverbs 3:13-15)

Worship Songs:

“Who You Say I Am”- Hillsong Worship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKw6uqtGFfo

“No Longer Slaves” Jonathan David and Melissa Helser/Bethel Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TkUMJtK5k