Aside from freaking out and feeling the pressure of Graffiti Summer getting started, I’m ascared.
When I decided to lead Graffiti Summer, I knew I was going to challenge myself too. I wasn’t going to use past experiences to teach or write about, I was going to step out and lead. But I had no idea God would plant this situation in my path just a few days before we began. Can I change my mind? Can I use old experiences? Please – it would be much easier.
When the perfect answer seems like a bunch of hooey!
Remember when you thought you had all the answers? And you know that nice comfortable Christian life that everyone thinks you’ll have once your a Christian, are you wondering where it went?
Why do we Christians come off thinking life is all black and white? That there’s a perfect scripture for every situation. That questions are either answered right or wrong. And that situations are of God or of evil, because what if it is all the above?
All this thinking about life’s answers is making me want to scream!
So, I’ll ask you for advice on the below situation.
What would you do in a situation like this?
Where’s the black and white or correctness when I need a strong answer?
Pleeeeeeeaassssse give me some kind of advice because I’m stumped.
Enter anonymous friend.
This is a girl I have watched grow extensively for three years. When I met her she was addicted to crack and homeless. I’ve watched her overcome her addiction and move off the street. I’ve seen her attend Bible studies and long to build a trusting friendship.
She was excited when she finally got a job as a manager. She stepped into that role and developed leadership skills that I didn’t know she had.
You’re probably thinking this is awesome.
Well, her place of employment is managing girls at a strip club. I’ve known this for months and prayed God would convince her to move on.
She loves the job of getting to pour into these girls and love on them. See, she once was a stripper and knows the hard abusive life attached. I write this with tears in my eyes as I remember the night I walked in to a strip club to love on some girls. Story here.
When God starts convicting it gets messy.
I see her recently and she burst out in tears. She’s worn, tired, and feeling like darkness is invading her soul. Understood, of course, for where she works. She’s convicted alright.
She still loves her job. She loves the money. She loves being there for the girls to help encourage them. Many of whom are homeless, addicted, and being forced to strip by dad’s and boyfriends. My heart is pounding and nauseated. It’s sex trafficking of the local kind.
We visit and I lay out some options. Then she says,
“Alene, sex sells! Always has, always will. And guess what, some people you know come here. They’re in here participating in this craziness just like everyone else.”
Enter my inward SCREAMS!!! Screams for help and answers. Screams for the perversion of this world.
So what the heck is the right thing to do?
Looking for a black and white answer, I see none. She’s not going to leave that job at the moment, which means I will just keep on praying and ask you to do the same. We can always pray, but I think too often we use that as an excuse to do nothing. [tweet that]
But maybe she could be an open door for me (if I am brave enough) or you, to go shower love on some girls who desperately need to know of Jesus Love — true love?
Or I could condemn her and leave her to her own darkness?
Or maybe I could equip her to be the light (Jesus light) in that place? You know it only takes a very little flame to begin to illuminate the darkness.
Or I could just throw my hands up in the air and walk away from this whole crazy mess and not deal with it? Hiding in my comfort zone is looking really inviting about now.
I’m torn. I have no answers.
My heart is heavy and broken as there are no pat answers. I’m realizing that for years I was one of those Christians who figured it was all black and white. Now, I want to puke at that behavior.
I think it was easy to assume that all was black and white when I sat in my perfect little world gazing out. It’s easy to judge right and wrong, black from white when you’re really as clueless as I was. But when you go walk around in the messy world and fall in love with messy people in messy situations — there seems to be no right answer. I think it’s more like . . .
Messy World + Messy People + Messy Situations = Messy Answers
When you start going to the places Jesus went and loving on this broken world you quickly realize that there are no black and white answers.
This world is so screwed up, I’m not even sure what color it is any more!
I’m pretty sure it ain’t black and white.
So, I’m here asking for your advice?
I am in prayer as we dig in to this week of Graffiti. I feel certain this is the different street corner that God would like me to explore this week. But the first step and the journey are going to require some major bravery. Tune in later this week and I’ll fill you in.
I’m thankful to lead out in this challenge. I think! No seriously, I am. I think.
After you leave me some advices, do please tell us how you have crossed paths with those different from yourself?
No advice. I just believe He gives us hearts that can trust Him and that lead us to love. Oh, how you do this so courageously, friend. You are a light. So grateful for you.
I’m learning to trust girl. Why is that so hard? Why do I want to take control? Learning to listen and love today. As God would say, “Just be still and know that I am God and that I will do the fighting.” Your encouragement is always so appreciated.
Please forgive me in advance if this answer seems, alas, too black and white, but I’ve long been convinced that following Christ is as simple as following Christ.
1. God calls every person individually and you are to follow Him as an individual. So is your friend.
2. You are not responsible for your friend’s actions. You are responsible for your own before the Lord.
I get balled up, too, when I see situations like this that seem to have no easy answer, at least none I can implement. And it doesn’t. No person, man or woman, can unravel something as messed up as this.
So, we say, only God can. But then we moan again about what WE are supposed to do about it.
I really think the answer is pretty simple.
Love her. Pray.
She has already heard the Good News. Point her back to it gently when you can with questions that show you care for her. Let her find her own answers from God. He is surely calling her.
When Christ first began calling me, I had an unconfessed past in sexual sin. The gal who mentored me in those days told me that at some point, I would have to confess it all, repent, and start clean. Ha! No way, I told her. So she shrugged her shoulders, said OK, and we went on from there, she loving me where I was, never reminding me, but pointing me always to God. Less than a year later, I did exactly as she forecast and that was the biggest turning point in my life with God. Everything (once the ensuing mess got cleaned up) got easier after that.
Sorry this is so long.
It’s not about you or her. It’s about God.
Tell the truth.
Love her and let her know with nonjudgemental action.
Follow God yourself.
Point her to the only One who can help.
God bless you, girl. It really isn’t all about us.
JoAnne — thank you, thank you, thank you for your sweet words. While I had wrestled with answers and what to do, God gave me what I needed as I talk about in today’s post. Still wrestling through it all — your comment arrives.
Your stirring words and confirmation to the only thing I can do is Listen and Love was so timely.
Can you tell I’m an Activator? My strength’s test reveals that I see something and see a solution and let’s get it going and get it done. Oh how I’m having to learn that it is always not about doing!!!
Thanks for sharing your journey. What a beautiful thing God has done in your life.
Activator. Ha. You and me both, honey.
Still, after we pry out hands off the steering wheel and just follow God ourselves, letting Him do what He wanted all along, oh boy. It’s not always pretty but, in retrospect, it’s always beautiful.