Is there an injustice that when you think about it, makes you ball your fists in anger? Yeah, me too. Any injustice against the innocent, especially women and children, churns my stomach—like lava in a volcano about to erupt.
I went to the “House of Hope” in Managua, Nicaragua on a mission trip with Woodcreek Church this month. There we served women and their kids escaping human trafficking and prostitution. So you can imagine I spent a lot of my time there with my fists balled.
In Nicaragua, prostitution is illegal for those under the age of 18, but for those 18 and up? Well, they are fair game. Every morning, we drove past brothels on our way to see the women escaping such a life. We heard about the sex markets always open at the back of the open air shopping markets. And we spoke with the women who are now free from the terror of their pimps. But arriving at freedom wasn’t easy.
The women and children trapped in this life are told from a young age they are worthless, will never amount to anything, and are useful to men for only one thing—and they might as well get used to it. And parents, who should make their children feel safe, don’t. When children are raped—which happened to so many women we spoke with–they are seen as “damaged goods” and many parents sell them into sex slavery. And for the lucky few whose parents send them to the doctor after victimization, find themselves abused by the very man they thought would help.
It’s sick.
But perhaps the most disturbing story I heard was from this woman.
Asked to protect her name, I’ll call her “Daphne”, which means “rescued”. Daphne’s pimp slashed her face and cut off her arm when she told him she wanted to leave. But she escaped him. Daphne sat down across from me as we gave the women pedicures one afternoon. When I took her leg in my hands, I felt her thick, calloused skin presumably caused by burning, but I couldn’t bear to ask her to tell me the story. The only part of her legs free from burns was a small strip of flesh on the back of her calves. Her 12-year-old daughter is now sex-trafficked by a former pimp and has a baby by him. 12. Years. Old.
Like me, maybe you’re asking the questions, “Why do people think they can do this to another person? Who do they think they are? How lofty must one think of themselves and how low must they think of others? ”
I feel and angry and helpless. My heart echoes what the writer of Psalms said:
O Lord, God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, shine forth!
Rise up, O judge of the earth;
repay to the proud what they deserve! Psalm 94:1,2
And I want to go back to Nicaragua with a shotgun—which I won’t do, but feels good to say. I believe this anger and rage within me is the Holy Spirit who, while I can only imagine what happens to women right now as I type, watches it.
God mentions the theme of justice 57 times in the Bible. He talks about how He will take His stand on the earth for those suffering and will carry out His vengeance. The perpetrators will pay.
And though I know the truth of this next statement is painful, I must meditate on it because it is the heart of God—while His heart is for justice, His heart is also for redemption. As He passionately pursued me, He passionately pursues the hearts of those who commit these crimes against women and children. He aches for these men to recognize the terror of their ways, bow their knee to Him and tell anyone who will listen, “God transformed me.” God wants to use the testimony of one, to change them all. For His Glory. Even in the life of Daphne’s pimp, He wants to be made famous. Imagine that for a moment.
After hearing my stories of heartbreak over Daphne and women like her, my husband asked me, “Now what? What are you going to do?” To which I responded, “I pray, I teach and I fight. ”
I pray for these men, as much as prayers for them pain me, I pray for their salvation. And in humility I recognize that in God’s eyes, my sin is no different than theirs. We are all sinners who need the sanctification of a Savior. So I keep praying.
And I teach my boys to respect women for the amazing creatures they are. To cherish them, to see them as God sees them.
Behold, you are beautiful, my love,
behold, you are beautiful!
You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes. Song of Solomon 4:1, 9
I teach them the stories of the Bible where God loves women and has a plan for their lives—the woman at the well, the sinful woman with the alabaster flask, Rahab, Esther, Deborah, Mary, Abigail, and on and on. And I correct their behavior when they don’t treat girls with gentleness and respect.
And using the gifts God’s given me, I fight against this horrific crime. My friend Marquita and I have created, “Konfident Kids”, a parent workshop designed to teach parents how to keep their kids safe from sex abuse. We educate parents on the mind of a predator. And we equip parents with body safety rules which teach kids to keep themselves safe but also that they are valuable and worthy. As a result, we hope to keep innocent kids innocent and predators wanting.
So while I can’t raid a brothel—except in my imagination, I can ruin the enemy’s plan of attack in my corner of the world. And while I await Christ’s return, I can partner with Him in His fight for justice in this world.
May we not turn a blind eye, but pray, teach and fight. And may we, and former-pimps-turned-Jesus-followers, make God famous.
What is the injustice that makes you “ball your fists?” Have you ever considered the question, “now what?” and doing something about it? Feel free to leave your comments below, I’d love to hear from you!
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