Last Thursday, I went out to eat with a friend to discuss preparation for my race. I was talking to her about my blog and how I am having a hard time coming up with things to write about. She made the suggestion to blog each week about a country that I am going to. DUH! Why didn’t I think of that?! As I was thinking of which country to begin with I decided on India, we were after all eating at India Taj Palace in Stone Oak.
After the very encouraging dinner date with my friend, I rushed home and immediately Googled anything I could find on India. Most facts about India I was expecting to find. Over 1.2 billion in population, it is the second most populous country in the world. Even the American that lives under a rock (me) knows that India is a country stricken with poverty and is extremely populous compared to the U.S.
But as I was doing my research for India, I came across a topic, a crisis so severe in its travesty of justice towards the women of India that I literally started crying in the coffee shop I was sitting in while doing my research.
Article after article, website after website they all rang true with a similar haunting echo. With titles such as “The Unspeakable Truth about Rape in India”, or “Violence Against Women and Gang Rape: India’s Continuing Shame”, it is obvious the heartbreak and the devastation going on in India towards it’s women. Rapes anywhere from 3 year old girls to 80 year old women are not uncommon. Gang rapes are rampant all across India, and women are continually discriminated against. It is not uncommon for a father, uncle, friend or any family member to rape a woman of the family. Spousal rape is also something that is an everyday occurrence in India. With statistics such as 37% of the women in India being abused by their husbands or even “every 22 minutes a woman is raped in India”, one must wonder how has this gotten so out of control and why is rape a common factor for the Indian culture?
Sexual discrimination and violence has engulfed the whole country of India that the women have lost view of their worth. It is not rare for a pregnant woman in India to have an abortion when she finds out her unborn child is a female. While it could be because the mother doesn’t want to bring a child into the world that could be sexually abused, I believe it is because the worth of the women of India has been attacked, and that mother has no idea what she is worth which trickles down to her view of her unborn daughter. Where the ratio of 800 women to every 1,000 men is common and the gap between the two is growing, women are not only losing ground in the population growth of the nation, but also with their rights as human beings. It is rare that justice is served for the unfortunate victims of sexual violence in India and the women are quickly hushed when they try to speak out about their abuse. The acts against these women are shrugged off as if they are no big deal when in fact, they effect the woman for the rest of her life.
It wasn’t until December 16th that the gang rape of a 23 year old woman which ultimately lead to her death sparked outrage with India’s discrimination and violence towards its women. Quickly the topic started to make national and global news and people began to protest and demand stricter laws. Often women who are raped and try to file a case are sadly turned away from having any justice. But that is slowly changing. There is hope for India.
As I continued researching about India, my heart ached for these women. My heart aches for the men who do not respect the women. My heart aches for India. The women of India need to be told of their worth. The men of India need to be told of the worth of their women. I am so torn to pieces at the thought of all the injustice done to these women and I cannot wait to get to India and show these women Christ’s love for them. I was reading an article about a woman that was raped and now no one will marry her because she is viewed as unclean. I want to find this woman and others like her and share with her the worth that she has in Christ. I want to share with these women and men verses like Psalm 139:13-16.
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
These men and women have a worth in Christ. They have been “fearfully” and “wonderfully” made in His image! They are worth more than the actions they do, and they are worth more than the actions done to them! There is hope in Christ for the people of India. I want to share with them that they are special, they have a purpose, and God has a plan for their lives.
Like it says in Jeremiah 29:11
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”
Whatever was done to these women and whatever makes so many men in India want to treat their women poorly, God STILL has a plan for each of their lives. If I can share this hope with just one man and one woman in India, it will be enough. There is a future for these women that are abused and there is also a future for the men that abuse them. There is a future and there is a hope for India.
I cannot wait to minister to these women and the people of India and bring smiles to their faces, but I cannot do it without your help! With my first deadline closing in in less than 25 days, I still have $3,000 to raise. While this may seem like a lot to come up with in less than a month, I know my God can make anything happen and He usually works in the last minutes. Will you pray about giving so the people of India can be shown the love of Christ? Will you give so these injustices can be turned around and used for God’s glory? Will you give so the people of India can be shown their worth in Christ? And will you pray for the hearts of India that God will prepare them to receive the message of forgiveness, redemption, and love?
There is so much to do, but the work can be accomplished and it starts with one willing heart. Are you willing?
