Heartbreak. What does it look like? Most of my life I would define it as normally coming after some kind of break-up with a girlfriend/boyfriend. Something that leaves you in distress or leaving you in some sort of depression. Who knows. At the beginning of the World Race I remember asking God to break my heart for something, break my heart for what breaks his. The last few months he has showed me more than just heartbreak, but how he redeemed me from what is breaking my heart now.
I walk through the streets of District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with Brandon, we just got done playing darts and having some time together out to relax. A woman drives up to me on her Moto, then asking me “You looking for lady? Want to come with me?” – moments later we walk by a bar with a sign out front that says “Crazy Girls.” – I look over, countless men and women hanging all over eachother, most of them all ridiculously intoxicated. All in search for truly one thing, the feeling of being wanted, needed. As we keep walking more towards our home for the month we pass countless bars, restaurants and places all busy with nightlife scene. As we walk past some other places we both get hollered at by Woman sitting out front of these bars. I’m white, I’m a white American in Vietnam. No, I’m not looking for sex, I’m not looking for drugs. Not that all of Vietnam is filled with these things, nor do all White people seek these out. But many males in the world do give some not the best name. I walk and think to myself “Are all of these Women looking at me thinking I want to buy them for sex?” At that moment my heart starts to hurt.
I used to be that guy, not necessarily purchasing women for sex but not thinking twice about these things. Two years before this moment in time I don’t know what I would have been doing with all of those questions asked to me. At this same time two years prior I was in Key West on Spring Break my last year of college, looking for whatever drinks, women or whatever I could get my hands on that would be ‘fun’… something that would fulfill me. The past two years have been two years of bringing Sin to the cross. Two years of layers upon layers of hurts, sins and wrecklessness being pealed off of me leaving me walking into FREEDOM. Two years ago I didn’t see anything wrong with two people having sex with eachother before they were married, dating or whatever that looks like. As I’m in the streets in Vietnam now, I see those men and women all over eachother in that Bar. Most people in the world would say “Oh that Man in that Bar with those prostitutes… Who are we to judge? Why don’t those women get another job if they don’t want to be there”
There is a large problem with that, most of those Women are only in there because they don’t have another way out, many of those women are FORCED into the business of prostitution. Fearing for there lives, many are held captive physically, mentally. These men walk into these bars, looking for a good time, thinking these women ACTUALLY want to be giving their bodies away to these random men night after night. If these men weren’t walking into these bars, and were respecting these women as we should this industry wouldn’t exist. This Blog is meant to not only share with you what is breaking my heart, but more of a call up. Not a CALL OUT, a CALL UP. To men to ask the Lord to see with eyes like his. Looking at women as objects, as ‘pieces of ass’ – as just another night out isn’t working. It surely isn’t going to give you true fulfillment and it isn’t respecting our high and mighty God, who loves these women, who also loves you. I understand where many men are coming from, I am far from perfect, as I stated two years ago I was looking at many women as any other. With the help of Jesus and the mighty redemption of the cross I’ve begun to see them as the gift they are. The true beauty of the Lord that radiates from them, there amazing hearts, amazing Love, patience, kindness. Many of these things which radiate from them I wish I could have. Women are a gift, a gift from God whom he Loves. As Men we should walk as leaders, caring for the most precious gift we have been given. Let’s stop looking at Porn, let’s stop sleeping with random women, let’s stop even ‘window shopping.’ None of it is helping you, it is feeding into devaluement of women and hurting of hearts. My prayer is that every man who reads this bring his heart to the Lord, asks the Lord for conviction in their life, anything that is not glorifying the Lord or that is not respecting his daughters as they should that he be loud and clear. Lets crucify our sin, lets walk as Men of God and spread his Glory among the nations.
1 Timothy 5:2 …”Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”
