“As I walked by these little babes, it was evident to my spirit that their eyes and faces were born precious, but mutilated by someone else for their twisted purpose.”
Being so exposed to Hollywood, we know that most of the movies we see are fictional and greatly exaggerated. We also know, that even if a movie is fictional, there is a lot of truth sitting in the background if we can learn to read between the lines.
Slumdog Millionaire is exactly this.
If you haven’t seen it, it’s a beautiful story about a kid in India who grows up in the slums, watches his mom get murdered before his eyes, then him and his brother try their best to fend for themselves. They’re living in a dumpster when a benevolent man takes them under his wing, at a home with other homeless children. What a great man! He takes these kids and cares for them, fully knowing the kids can’t pay him back. Or so we think.
The movie goes on to show that the man, after earning their trust, calls the children back one at a time to sing for him, and actually blinds them with acid. He smothers them in chloroform, then opens their tiny eyes and blinds them with acid. At 4 or 6 or 13, whatever the age, they’re blind and forever forced to beg for the man.
After seeing this movie for the first time, I was horrified that someone could conjure something like that in their mind, because surely, that part of the movie is only Hollywood, right? There’s no way that the most horrific scene is based on actual events that take place around the world.
I was wrong.
This month, my team was allowed to do something called ATL, Ask The Lord. We didn’t have a set ministry or even a host, but were entrusted to Ask the Lord every morning with what He had in store for us. It is a huge honor to be asked something like this, because it means the World Race trusts us enough to take it seriously, and not as an off month. I assure you, even though ministry was free flowing and not set in stone, this was BY FAR my busiest month. The Lord has a lot in store for us when we ask Him what His plans are instead of our own.
We decided to go to the Sunday Night Market, a huge market in Chiang Mai where they shut down 3-4 streets and thousands of booths are set up. It’s so fun! The streets are packed with tourists and locals alike, all looking for a great deal and the best smoothie. It is so busy you almost miss the children lining the middle of the street.
Let me paint the picture for you. There’s a normal street, shut down for the market, with well lit booths lining both sides. There’s live music and bright lights, calling all of your attention to the edges of the streets. As if that isn’t enough to overwhelm you, there are smells of homemade crepes and fried chicken to draw you in. The senses are overwhelmed, and its very difficult to take in. It’s very easy to miss the lines of children in the middle of the street, begging for money.
I almost missed it myself. Overwhelmed with smells and sights, I nearly overlooked the little boy playing a half-broken guitar, eyes burned and bulging, with a sign that said “for scholarship.” I took a closer look and a moment to process what I was seeing, and saw more than that one little boy. There were close to 20 children lining the center of the street, blinded or disfigured in some way, all with signs that said, “for scholarship.” As I walked by these little babes, it was evident to my spirit that their eyes and faces were born precious, but mutilated by someone else for their twisted purpose.
Though not every child was blind, it was clear that everyone who was blind was not born that way. Some of them had burns across their entire faces, running onto their bodies. Some of them had birth defects, and have probably been told that no other life would suit them.
Let me assure you, I am not naive to what naturally blind eyes look like. I’ve befriended several people that were blind from birth, and this is not what I saw in the market. These little babes were made in the image of God, perfect and holy, but mutilated and disfigured for someone else’s purpose. How sick. How sad. How evil.
Did I see these kids being blinded? No, but I didn’t need to. I know in my spirit what I saw, and I know how it broke my heart. I’ve seen a lot of evil things on this trip, but unfortunately I think this was the most significant.
So–my fellow travelers, I urge you to slow down, look away from the bright lights and the busy smells to see what is actually going on around you. Live your life asking the Lord. Ask Him what He has in store for you that day. God has a lot in store for us. He wants us to rescue HIS little babes from the horrors they’ve experienced, but we have to see them first.
