rape – to seize and take away by force, the act of forcefully taking what is valuable from a person.
In this culture, rape is everywhere. Zoom out. In this world, rape is everywhere. We, by nature, since the garden of Eden, have looked at things of value and wanted to consume them for our own gain or personal pleasure. This is not the perfect and holy design we were made to live in. The moment the devil convinced Eve that creation was better when it was enjoyed for her own glory and self, he introduced the concept of rape to her. And with it, death. He twisted the truth, telling Eve that she, the created, could govern herself, making her own decisions. He dared to tell her that the goodness, holiness, and glory of the creation was more desirable than the Creator and His love for her.
The value of what she took was high. It was of great worth simply because of the nature of its Creator.
John 10:10 a The theif comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.
The thief comes to rape us. He comes to steal what’s valuable to us. He comes to kill the life that we were made for. He comes to destroy every single thing in our life that is good and glorifying to the Lord. He comes to rob and steal every last ounce of our value, using it as an act of hate and war towards the Lord.
During the week my parents were with me in the Philippines, we participated in the most gospel-focused, Jesus-centered ministry I have been a part of yet. Wipe Every Tear brings the good news of Jesus to girls working in bars catering to foreigners looking for a sex-vacation. They offer the beautiful gift and good news of freedom, home, family, and safety to girls who have been raped in a thousand different ways. They speak the good news of no longer living in poverty and vulnerability. We had the absolute honor and privilege of walking boldly into bars, calling girls down off the stage (or dancing WITH THEM on the stage), and telling them about the hope that Wipe Every Tear offers.
The link to WET’s website is here:
A few incredibly amazing stories from our week working with WET are here:
http://alyssamcgrail.theworldrace.org/post/ladyboys
http://emmakoestner.theworldrace.org/post/to-the-men
Okay. Let’s talk about one of the hardest parts of the reality of sex-trafficking:
The customer. The predator. The rapist.
This is what I’ve called the men that walked into the bars we were in. This is how I saw them and viewed them. As they stared at these girls, consuming them with their eyes, raping them before they even raped them, my heart rose in anger and fight. My heart clenched it’s fist and drew back to throw strikes against them. And whose wouldn’t? They’re stealing one of the most valuable gifts God gave to humans and using it for their own pleasure and gain.
Rape. Pure, inexcusable rape.
These girls have absolutely no money, absolutely no way of making it out of this lifestyle of death – this slavery to other’s consumerism, uncontrollable thirst, and greed – and the the demand for easy, available, purchasable sex is rising. Men are flooding Walking Street in Angeles City. One street, not even a mile long, that provides foreigners with over 15,000 different girls to chose from to buy for the night.
Buy. Use. Rape.
Men, who’ve been lied to their whole lives, are convinced that the holiness, breath-taking wonder, and glorious beauty of the women on Walking Street are meant to be purchased in the same fashion as a bag of chips.
Death. Hopelessness. Destruction.
My biggest fear is not being safe. My biggest fear is that this society will see the value I hold and consume it for themselves. My biggest fear is that I will be taken advantage of emotionally and physically. I fear danger. I fear pain. And I know every other human being on earth does to. So many of our daily actions and decisions are made from a self preserving motive.
But oh how the Lord used this week to bring healing and hope to my heart through this week of witnessing the most obvious, unveiled, reckless and cruel theft of value I’ve ever seen.
GRACE.
MERCY.
FORGIVENESS.
SALVATION.
LOVE.
JOY.
FREEDOM.
HOPE.
The gospel extends the most valuable gifts to us and they have forever changed my life.
I know that on my own I’m so blind; I don’t know how to treat valuable things in any other way but rape. I have been so convicted of the way I, myself, Kate Paulson, have participated in this atrocious act – the way I’ve selfishly seen others’ value and sought to consume or use it for myself.
Jealousy and comparison that lead me to try and replicate or steal the beauty and value another person holds : rape.
Compliments that are said with the goal of personal gain : rape.
ANYTHING and EVERYTHING said or done with selfish intent : rape.
Viewing men who are so broken, blind, and dead, they don’t know any other way of life than rape, deciding they are no longer offered the free gift of life I have been given, removing their identity as a glorious and holy creation designed with high value by a limitless God : rape.
I don’t say this word, rape, flippantly or dramatically. I genuinely believe that it’s this serious. That pride has taken over in our world, blinding us and deceiving us to believe that we’re important enough, or deserving enough, to consume value and worth for ourselves. And it’s breeding death.
How many ads have you seen that convey the message “you deserve it”? Our society would have us believe that we can somehow earn good things and benefit from consuming things for our own pleasure, euphoria, happiness. That the created is better than the Creator.
But here’s the truth: Bad people deserve bad things. Good people deserve good things.
Because of sin, we are bad people. We do not deserve things of high value.
Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.
Here’s the even greater truth: BECAUSE of Jesus, I now hold things of unfathomable value. Because of Jesus, I have things I don’t deserve that can never be taken away from me. I can never be robbed of these things.
AND with Christ, I can ADD VALUE and speak life. I can breathe hope into girls who have none. I can extend grace to the customer, the predator, the consumer, the rapist.
And that’s just it. I’m a bad person, who can’t extend good things to another bad person. It simply doesn’t work like that. But Jesus, in His incredible grace, said, “Here’s all the grace to cover all the sin, and you can receive it from me and extend it to each other, without having to figure it out on your own.”
This is the freedom of the gospel: That the rapist can love the rapist, and the raped can breathe life again, whole and healed and holy.
John 10:10 b But I have come so that you may have life and have it abundantly.
I have life. I have found the ONLY antidote to this disease of rape.
I’ve recently realized the sweetness of believing every single thing Jesus says NO MATTER WHAT, and my favorite things that He’s said are always about hope. The promises that there is a better future for those who love Jesus. I have an eternal LIFE with Jesus that can’t ever be stolen from me. No one can rape me. No one can take away my value. No one can snatch the grace that’s been extended to me.
What a beautiful gospel. What a beautiful God.
-k
