Dear John,
I don’t know who you are, and I don’t know your personal reason for why you are doing what you are doing, but I do know that God loves you and cares about you deeper than you can even begin to fathom.
I know many people don’t want to think about you as a victim when talking about the sex-trafficking industry—I know because I used to be one of those people. However, lately God has been showing me that you are a victim too.
You are a victim to a culture that says sex is so blasé it has lost its significance and meaning. You are also a victim to your mind, your wants, and your desires—you are a victim and a slave to yourself and you don’t even realize it.
And that breaks my heart.
It may seem odd that I am writing this letter to you. You see, I have always heard about “the red-light district” where people go to evangelize and show God’s love and grace and forgiveness to the girls working in the sex-trade industry, but very often that is the only focus—the girls. And while I am certainly not condemning the people who are out there doing just that, I believe that they are missing half, if not more than half, of the opportunities they are able to reach—you, dear sir, are that missing half.
To answer a question you may have for me; no, I have not been out there personally, to the red-light district, seeing you and the girls interact. Sure, you can claim an endless number of reasons why you justify to yourself why paying to have sex with these women is okay. But I KNOW that the high you feel is temporary—it’s just a mixture of hormones; specifically dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, plus a few other minor ones. Once those hormone highs wear off, you want more, so you go get another fix—buy another girl for a few quick moments. And then you want more, so you go get another. And then another. And then another. And eventually you have found yourself so caught up in buying these feelings, these feel-good hormones that you have forgotten what you are really doing.
I firmly believe that you do not know the full extent to which you are hurting these women—these wonderful, beautiful, and worthy daughters of Christ. But with that, your unknowingness may be a reason, but it isn’t an excuse. You see, out of the 24.9 million people caught up in modern-day slavery, 4.8 million (19%) are sexually exploited; and although that is a smaller percentage number (relatively speaking) the sexual exploitation sector of modern-day slavery brings in 66% of the annual revenue–$99 BILLION.
However, I’m digressing.
The point of this letter is not to throw numbers and statistics at you. Instead, I want you to know that I see you. I see your heart, how it longs and aches for something more, for something fulfilling—a fulfillment so strong that you don’t need to return ever again to be filled once more.
A fulfillment that you will never find with sex.
However, would you listen to me if I told you that you can find that fulfillment?
Would you honestly believe me?
Well regardless, I want you to know that that fulfillment can be found in another form of a relationship—not a sexual relationship with another girl off of the street, but rather in a relationship with Jesus Christ, the person who will redeem you and fill you up so full that you won’t want to go looking for another temporary high that will leave you feeling less than fulfilled.
You are like the prodigal son from the bible—you left your father’s house in order to find pleasure. In your case, you are searching for that fulfilling pleasure in sex with women.
But that search of yours is futile.
You know I am not lying to you; it can be seen time and time again in the emptiness in your eyes.
However, if you return home to your father—your Heavenly Father—He is waiting for you. He is waiting with open arms for you to return home. Plus, He isn’t even waiting to give you a scolding, or to tell you “I told you so,” but rather He wants you to come home and find such an overwhelming sense of peace, and love, and joy, that you will never want to go out and run astray again.
So I could probably write three more pages in this letter to you, and who knows, maybe I will later. However if you don’t take anything else away from this letter, I want you to know that I see you, I love you, and my heart aches for you, and above all God loves you and is waiting with open arms for you to come back to Him.
With lots of love and prayers,
Bethany G.
