I wish i had wit tonight as I sit and write this. I may not have wit, but I do have a little bit of truth. This week we started bar ministry and it's been beautiful and broken. For all of you young life leaders out there, it's like doing contact work on crack. From the moment we walk onto Bangla Rd you are constantly assaulted by sights and sounds people asking you to come watch strip shows and buy stuff every two feet. Listening to God's voice can be quite the task in a place like that. As we walk the roads and pray and as we sit in the bars and talk, I am struck by one thing- how wrong it all is. You may be saying duh, but hear me out.
1. Women were created to be pursued. In the depths of our being we are created to be pursued and loved and cherished and protected. The fact that these women will throw themselves at everyone just so they will be desired is so hard to watch. If only they could see how beautiful they really are.
2. Men were created to be warriors and protectors. I know this is true and yet 98% of the men there seek to take advantage rather than to protect, to hide in the depths of their sin and lust rather than fight for what's true.
3. Have you ever heard of a ladyboy? (funny name, I know) but it literally is just a man that is completely convincing as a woman, mostly because he is convinced himself that it's true. It's hard to see a man is such confusion because he has been told all of his life he is beautiful and pushed to be a woman so that his family can make money off of him. Talk about an identity crisis.
4. Children should be allowed innocence and yet our team was completely wrecked as Leila, this beautiful six year old came and sat on our laps, kissing our cheeks and trying to sell us things. She would have been adorable had it not been for the fear in her eyes everytime she took a look at the man who controlled her. We asked if he was her father and he responded with disgust at the thought. She should be having a bedtime story read to her rather than being exploited for someone else's gain.
As I look back at this week and what we have seen, one verse kept coming to mind. "Hate what is evil, cling to what's good." And gosh do we hate the evil on those streets. But if we were to hold on to that hate, we would become overwhelmed by the pain and darkness in this world.
That's where the second half of the verse comes in. Cling to what's good. God is good. The happiness we feel with Joy and Ning and tsunee is good. The glimpses of innocence in Leila are good. God is good and he already has won the victory- now we just get to do our part in reclaiming righteousness and bringing light and love back into the world as it was intended to be.
Thanks for tuning in.
