It Shouldn't Hurt to be a Child

Do you ever get weighed down by seeing all of the sin around and in us? Do you ever just wish that holiness were easy? Are there any perfectionists out there? How does it feel to know that you will NEVER be perfect? What about that habitual sin that you try so hard to break but the moment you get prideful about how much growth "you've" made, you fall into temptation and mess up? What about the brokenness and hopelessness that you see around you?

This past week my friend Becca and I had the opportunity to speak at our church about the vision of Redeeming Zoe (Click here if you don't know about Redeeming Zoe and click here to hear our segment). It was an amazing opportunity. Seven different organizations got to speak on what they are doing in Cebu to bring hope to the broken and lost. One of the presenters struck me with something she said and it hasn't left me: It shouldn't hurt to be a child. She is right. It shouldn't hurt to be a child, but sometimes it does. 

I live in one of the highest concentrated areas for child sex tourism. Every street that you walk down or drive on, you see children being forced to sell food or items or beg for money. We regularly pass by hotels where you can pay "by the hour" and it says that there are no minors allowed, but we know it happens. Almost every day, I hear multiple stories about how children have been sexually exploited online and are in need of rescuing.  Most of the online exploitation stories I hear, the perpetrators are young mothers who grew up being exploited online as well. Unfortunately, satan is not age, gender or location discriminate and he does go after children. It's not just in the Philippines where I hear gut wrenching stories. It's everywhere. 

Let's talk about our own back yard, America: 

Every 8 minutes a child becomes a survivor (I hate using the word victim) of sexual abuse. 

93% of those survivors know the perpetrator. 

59% of perpetrators were acquaintances. 

34% of perpetrators were family members.

7% of perpetrators were strangers. 

This is not the only way that satan attacks childhoods. He uses divorce, alcohol, drugs, toxic parental/child relationships and the list could go on and on. So, what's the answer? 

What the world needs now, is love sweet love. The world needs the sweet love of Jesus and Jesus knew that! 

In John 13, we see that Jesus is going to wash the disciples' feet. He knew that the time was near for Him to experience the most excruciating death. As He began to wash their feet, Simon Peter was embarrassed. He said to Jesus that he only wanted his hands washed and not his feet. Jesus responded to him saying that if he did not wash his feet, then Simon Peter would have no share with him. Back in this time, you walked every where that you went. There weren't nice sidewalks or good supportive shoes for them to wear. It was dirty. I mean can you imagine? These people walked all over in the dirt where animals and God knows what else used the bathroom! They didn't get to go stick their feet in a nice spa tub where someone scrubs the nasty callouses off of you. The feet were the dirtiest part of the body and Jesus wanted to wash them. If Jesus was willing to wash the dirtiest part of the disciples, then He is willing to wash the dirtiest part of us! Even when we get hung up in a repetitive sin pattern, or when we are disobedient in what He is asking us to do, He loves us and washes us clean! This is beautiful and makes my heart so thankful. At the same time, it's hard to comprehend. Jesus was doing this to be an example because later in the chapter, He expresses that we are to do that as well....even the dirtiest of the dirty. That's hard for me to swallow. We all have different biases based on life experiences and the things that we are passionate about. The truth is, the solution to the problem of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children and abuse of all kinds is the gospel of Jesus. The solution to broken families, alcoholism, drugs and toxic parental/child relationships is Jesus. How are the broken and the lost going to receive the gospel of Jesus if we (the Church) don't give them or show them the gospel like Jesus modeled for us? More than that, how many types of people have we withheld the gospel from because we are angry at their lifestyle? Who have you been unwilling to “wash feet” for? Also in looking at ourselves, are we willing to let Him wash the dirtiest parts of us? 

This is really hard for me to talk about. I absolutely hate the fact that there are people in this world that will take advantage of children.  I do believe that God can and will take the mess that abuse creates and He can restore those of us who have walked through this evil. Redeeming means to "take back" and Zoe means "life".  He can give us abundant “Zoe” life though satan tries to kill, steal and destroy.  I believe that there are consequences and those people that abuse children will be held accountable for their actions, because our God is just, but....I also believe that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ and as hard as it is for me to say this, yes I'm talking about pedophiles too. 

Sin is painful. It's messy. It ruins lives, and relationships of all kinds. BUT God is able. He is able to redeem us and make us new. His kindness leads us to repentance and that is how we will get a changed world. If we share the kindness that God showed us through Jesus, life change can and will happen! 

We need to take a stand against abuse of all kinds. We need to advocate for children, but more than that we need to advocate for the family as a whole. Who's with me? 

Until all are free, 

-a fellow Zoe