"J" who we met in a parlour a while ago has been having a really tough few months. She reached out to our contact card and shared that she grew up as a Pastor's kid and had experienced a tremendous amount of church hurt. "J" mentioned that she was very surprised to see how kind, gentle and open we were in chatting with her at the parlour. Her past trauma had taught her that Christians were judgmental and hypocritical, but deep down inside she knew that Jesus wasn't like that. Through our continued interactions over the coming weeks, "J" would even try to test our team to see if we would scold her for her lifestyle or obnoxiously shove Jesus in her face. When that didn't happen "J" was taken back with surprise. She noticed our team was different and that we carried the presence of Jesus in a way she hadn't experienced before. She couldn't believe that we would just meet her where she was at and that there were no strings attached. One day she even shared that she believed God sent us to the Parlour just for her, so that she would know she was loved and had value. Our heart posture towards "J" spoke huge volumes about the goodness of God and his intentions towards her.
Does Jesus want "J" to be free of the sex trade? YES, but we need to understand that one approach doesn't fit all. Every person is unique and the Father knows what each person needs most in that season. If we are willing to listen well and hear the heart of Jesus for the people He has called us to, HE will do the heavy lifting; we just need to be obedient. His timing is never late. Please keep "J" in prayer as she navigates how to get the social support she needs in order to be financially stable as well as find healing for her heart and mind. Trauma is a nasty cycle that can take years to recover from, but Jesus holds the key to all of it.