eyes of light

Last Monday night, 5 of us went off to a local bar here in KL that is a known hotbed for prostitution. We went with an American girl that has been living here for the last 2 years working with a ministry to reach out to the prostitutes, most of them victims of sex trafficking and many desperately desiring to escape this life they’ve been sucked into. As I’ve realized time and again since coming on the race, one of our most incredible blessings has been to get glimpses of countless incredible lives of faith, working out God’s purposes and bringing His Kingdom around the world. These are heroes that look like you and me, simply willing to open up their ears to God’s call on their lives and taking that step of faith wherever He prompted.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

As we walk towards one of the more popular stretches of bars in KL for finding a drink and scantily clad women selling themselves for the night, the heaviness is undeniable. Arriving at the bar, I have to pause in recognition of the new set of eyes through which I am looking around. I have no intention of coming off as mystical or hyper-spiritual, but there is a very real battle going on in this far too typical bar. It only takes the honesty to see this place for the bondage that it represents, inundated by American and European businessmen feeding their addictions on women and alcohol alike. The bondage of the women here against their will, trafficked from the Philippines and elsewhere with deceiving promises of work and the inability to escape by threats and perceived necessity. There is no freedom here, and it takes hardly renewed eyes to see the pain residing just below the surface. Sons and daughters, living as slaves.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body
will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will
be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great
is that darkness!”

Standing out front, I saw plenty of men wandering past on the sidewalk. Most eyes
were staring intently, analyzing, scrutinizing the occupants of the bar. Man after man would walk past; businessmen and beggars, guys night out or a step behind their wives, sharing the same unbreakable, corrupted gaze. However, as the common observation goes, the smallest light shines brightest amidst the most profound darkness. That evening, amid the countless men bound by lust, walked a man that stood out. He was alone, seemingly free from the careful watch of accountability. His hand bore a wedding ring, though that alone certainly didn’t set him apart from most of the other gentlemen out reveling in all this evening had to offer. However, as he approached the bar, he rose that ringed hand to his eyes, shielding himself from the temptation within. This simple yet profound act of self-control sparked a jolt of joy, reminding me that all is not lost. There is a light that is rising, in me and around the world, set on breaking into the darkest of places and shattering the bonds that have so enslaved us, offering a freedom that has been hidden for far too long.