As a "beforehand tidbit"...
Proverbs 7 says:
21 With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her [o]flattering lips she seduces him.
22 Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as [p]one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,
23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a bird hastens to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.
In the past year I have learned about the sex slavery industry. I'll admit, I was a naive, conservative, and very sheltered child. Then I started online college classes at a secular college. And I started noticing things around me... It is appalling and hard to wrap my mind around.
In the words of Leslie Ludy, today slavery "is higher then it has ever been throughout all of world history... 27 million slaves." (Sacred Singleness) Yet here in America, we sugar coat things. We consider slavery as a thing of the past - something you find in textbooks or rural Africa. But the majority of this slavery is in sex slavery - and yes, it very much happens in America.
One of the most horrid truths I've come to realize... Christians today often - most often - look down on prostitutes. (Don't believe me? Really think about it. Think about yourself, and the people you know. What are your reactions to people and places that have to do with prostitution? What do you think about a character in a movie or story who is a prostitute? Do you have any stereotypes?) Many women do choose prostitution as a job. Do you think they all enjoy it? Do you think they all want to do that for a living?
Now step aside from the sex factor. Do these women - and girls - need Jesus? (I'd encourage you to do some research. And reach out to women in this situation. Because... we live in a lost and dying world. Those men and women are eternal beings... headed for one of two destinations.)
As I've learned about this horrid reality - prostitution, sex slavery, parents selling their children into the sex trade, children and young women being used (yes, sold and used) for pornography - I've felt compelled to help in whatever ways that I can. For awhile, that was a really big struggle for me. Being disabled, it's hard for me to "go and make disciples of all nations" in the literal "go" sense. But for right now, it seems I can at least reach out and make things known in my writing. I am a fantasy writer. Then I heard the legend of the Siren. The following thoughts occurred to me.
(Quick backstory: A Siren was a beautiful mystical creature who sang sensually explicit and lustful songs to lure sailor's ships into the rocks, where they would crash. Then the Siren would drown her victims.)
It is not my intention to relate all men and women in the "sex industry" as being murderous Sirens. Rather, it is to use an allegorical example which illustrates another version of the Proverbs 7 woman, as well as the lost and hopeless world, to make people think before making judgements and think about sharing the Gospel.
Proverbs 7 says:
21 With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her [o]flattering lips she seduces him.
22 Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as [p]one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,
23 Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a bird hastens to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 Now therefore, my sons, listen to me,
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
26 For many are the [q]victims she has cast down,
And numerous are all her slain.
27 Her house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.
And pay attention to the words of my mouth.
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths.
26 For many are the [q]victims she has cast down,
And numerous are all her slain.
27 Her house is the way to Sheol,
Descending to the chambers of death.
In the words of Leslie Ludy, today slavery "is higher then it has ever been throughout all of world history... 27 million slaves." (Sacred Singleness) Yet here in America, we sugar coat things. We consider slavery as a thing of the past - something you find in textbooks or rural Africa. But the majority of this slavery is in sex slavery - and yes, it very much happens in America.
One of the most horrid truths I've come to realize... Christians today often - most often - look down on prostitutes. (Don't believe me? Really think about it. Think about yourself, and the people you know. What are your reactions to people and places that have to do with prostitution? What do you think about a character in a movie or story who is a prostitute? Do you have any stereotypes?) Many women do choose prostitution as a job. Do you think they all enjoy it? Do you think they all want to do that for a living?
Now step aside from the sex factor. Do these women - and girls - need Jesus? (I'd encourage you to do some research. And reach out to women in this situation. Because... we live in a lost and dying world. Those men and women are eternal beings... headed for one of two destinations.)
As I've learned about this horrid reality - prostitution, sex slavery, parents selling their children into the sex trade, children and young women being used (yes, sold and used) for pornography - I've felt compelled to help in whatever ways that I can. For awhile, that was a really big struggle for me. Being disabled, it's hard for me to "go and make disciples of all nations" in the literal "go" sense. But for right now, it seems I can at least reach out and make things known in my writing. I am a fantasy writer. Then I heard the legend of the Siren. The following thoughts occurred to me.
(Quick backstory: A Siren was a beautiful mystical creature who sang sensually explicit and lustful songs to lure sailor's ships into the rocks, where they would crash. Then the Siren would drown her victims.)
It is not my intention to relate all men and women in the "sex industry" as being murderous Sirens. Rather, it is to use an allegorical example which illustrates another version of the Proverbs 7 woman, as well as the lost and hopeless world, to make people think before making judgements and think about sharing the Gospel.
No One Pities the Siren
Kayla R. Woodhouse
No one pities the Siren.
She sings and woos,
leading men to their death.
Like an ox going to the slaughter,
as the Siren sings,
men fall prey to her spell.
No one pities the Siren.
In the cold, lonely night
she receives her orders.
Like a slave obeying its master,
when the ships come,
she must kill her victims.
No one pities the Siren.
Though she cries for release,
no one comes to free her.
Like the chained prostitute,
trapped in the ocean’s icy cage,
she must obey her master.
No one pities a Siren.
Ps. For some extra reading, check out Francine River's Redeeming Love as well as the book of Hosea in the Old Testament. Most of the inspiration for this poem came from the book of Hosea.
No comments:
Post a Comment