So many broken promises. So many lies she’s heard. Maybe some of these lies have led her to this world…
All she knows is she is here now.
And with every purchase, every fake inviting glance, every night, every twisted substitute for love,
the things she believes about herself are confirmed.
again and again. over and over.
“I am still only worth dirt. Just the dirt.”
No. No. No.
She is worth the sky!!
While man looks at her only for her body and what she is or is not wearing, God sees her robed in purity and righteousness. Covered by Himself.
While man sees her as an object to use to satisfy himself, God sees her as a treasure.
A treasure. Worthy of being offered His satisfying and fulfilling love.
Man sees her as a dirty woman, only good at one thing. God sees her as He designed her to be.
A woman with exciting dreams and plans.
And this…this is not the plan.
While man walks away, satisfied in his body, leaving a broken heart hurting and dying inside, God comes.
He surrounds her.
He whispers His words of love.
He cradles her heart.
He breathes His pneuma into her lungs.
While the world turns away, disgusted by her promiscuity and fearing association, God cries out and reaches for her, desiring to make her whole.
While the world sees her as she is right now, her Prince sees her as she was created to be and always believes in who she is and will become.
He knows she is redeemable.
The world gives up.
The Heavenly Warrior of Eternal Strength fights on.
While the world breaks countless promises,
God fulfills and exceeds every promise He has spoken to her.
Every promise.
The world rejects. Abba Daddy embraces.
The world judges, Abba Daddy forgives.
The world tells her, “This is all there is, pretty girl. This is all you can be.”
Abba Daddy says. “There is so much more I have to offer you, my love.”
While the world says, “Only ones who have it all together are allowed,”
God says, “Come all who are weary, broken, frightened, alone.”
The world says, over and over,”She is worth nothing.”
The Heavenly Pursuer of her heart states boldly, “She is my delight. And she is worth the sky.”
He looks her in the eyes.
He doesn’t pretend He doesn’t know and He doesn’t turn away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
During orientation with Mike, our contact in Thailand, he shared some of his experiences with the bars and prostitution. In passing he said the following about the women, and it has stuck with me.
“They have been promised the sky and have been given dirt.”
When people think of the sex industry, probably most people think of those trapped in sex slavery. That’s where my mind went in the past, and it’s something I’m still passionate about. But the month in Thailand introduced me to a new type of the sex industry.
Prostitution.
While it used to be something that made me think of numbers and debates, I now think of names. I think of faces. I think of women dancing on poles in front of me. I think of an old man whispering in a woman’s ear, sliding his hands up and down her back and planting kisses on her cheek. I think of a young, handsome businessman, checking his watch as he tries to figure out a time to meet with a beautiful Thai woman standing in front of him. I think of a man and woman leaving the bars, strolling hand in hand, pretending that it’s real. I think of women grabbing mens’ hands and pulling them into the bar.
And after every night at the bars, I thought to myself: “They are not forced to be here. What makes them stay?”
In conversations with these beautiful souls, I heard one of these three reasons almost every time.
1. “My family needs my help.”
2. “I need to pay for college and it is good money.”
3. “I don’t know what else I am good at.”
These women, though they are not bound by visible chains, are enslaved in an invisible world of lies, expectations, and misunderstanding of who they are in the eyes of Christ. And they live with it every day.
Many of them still feel like they don’t have a choice.
Prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand.
But the bars remain. and the men keep coming. and the women keep working. and the money keeps rolling into the country.
And the impact of the world these women live in is so deep. in so many ways.
I don’t want to pretend it doesn’t exist. But neither do I want to pretend I can explain it with mere words.
How is freedom found? How will truth prevail?
How will the hearts of the women be changed?
And how will the men who come be transformed?
I don’t know.
I just know now…that it’s real.
The battle is real.
