After 5 crazy days of travel, we finally arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand. For the first 3 days, our squad is having a “Leadership Development Weekend” where we take intentional time to rest and grow as disciples.
Last night, we were sitting in a group teaching time and to be honest I was having a hard time focusing on what was being said. Our hostel is within a block of the red light district, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the area, and had a desire in my heart to go on a prayer walk there. However, I had already made plans to do something else after we were done. When the session was over, my squadmate Morgan came up to me and told me she wanted to go on a prayer walk and the Lord told her to come ask me to go. Okay Jesus, I get it, I need to go. So Morgan and I left with 3 other people and began praying.
For those of you who don’t know the term “red light district”, this is the area of the city lined with countless bars, filled with prostitutes looking to sell themselves for the night. And every single night, men come from all over the world looking to buy “love” or fun for the night. I’m going to be real with y’all, when I saw those men in the bars or walking down the street holding the hand of a teenage girl, I was pissed. There was an anger burning inside of me that I really can’t explain. My thoughts ranged from things like “how can they live with themselves?” to “I want to go punch him in the throat.” to “they’re searching for love, but they can’t find it here.”
Then the Lord told me “They won’t find love in the way they are searching for it, but they will find love from you.” and I told Him “I don’t want to love them. Do you see what they’re doing?” As we continued walking, I was reminded of a Billy Graham quote I read the other day, “It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge, and my job to love.” and knew the reason I came across that quote was for the men in these bars. It’s not my job to convict them for what they’re doing, it’s not my job to judge them, the only job I have is to love them.
The love of the Father is unconditional. There’s absolutely nothing we can do to make Him love us any more or any less. And as followers of the Lord, we are called to reciprocate that love for every single person we come in contact with. Whether they pastor a church, work in an office all day, have been convicted for murder, or spend their nights searching for love in bars in Thailand, we are called to show them the true, unconditional love that we have received.
Over the next 2 months, I plan to return to the red light district, and my intentions with be to go in and show the men there the love of Jesus. But in order to do this, I myself and the rest of the squad will need so much prayer. I’m asking you to pray for us. To pray against the judgement that so quickly arises in my head, and to pray for the ability to love like Jesus does. Prayer is so powerful. Thank you for interceding for us.
