The Beauty of a Woman

When a husband takes a second or third glance at women in public, looks intently at women on magazine covers, views pornography, checks out dating sites, and or has an extramarital affair we are left feeling like we just don't measure up and sadly more often than not a wife feels as if somehow this is her fault.

That is a lie. The truth lies in her husband's heart condition. His heart is not right with his Maker. This has nothing to do with the wife yet often she finds herself thinking that if only she was thinner, prettier, smarter, her teeth were straight or whiter, her hair a different shade or longer or shorter, her 'attributes' more 'fine tuned' with a nip here, a tuck there and an augment you know where then things would be different. Surely then he would not need to look elsewhere.

I have been guilty of this mindset. I have been known to shop for specific outfits or shoes that I knew would please my husband, yoyo diet to win his affection, and even change my hair color or style to give him a variety of looks. Now I am not saying that we shouldn't take into consideration what our husband's would like or that we shouldn't try to dress or look nice for him- I am saying that when our motive for doing so is to win him over as if we are in competition with the world then there is a problem because that heart motive will only leave us sadly disappointed and even more frustrated than before. I suggest if you are struggling in this area that you do some self evaluation as recommended in 2Corinthians 13:5 to see if your heart motives are motivated by the Lord or are influenced by the world.

The world tells us through ads, commercials, magazine covers, catalogs, pornography, television, movies, highway billboards, books and more that image is everything. If we saturate ourselves in those things (men this is for you, too) we will believe or be influenced by the world. If we want to be transformed into God's image and believe Him at His word for who He says we are then we must saturate ourselves with the Truth of His word. When we are consumed with the world, we are blinded by the world but the word says this in 2Corinthians 3:16 "but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." This tells me that GOD will open my eyes to His truth and renew my mind! That is encouraging! So, what does God say to us? Well, he says a lot, but specifically I want to share with you what He says about how He looks upon us and how that differs from how man looks upon us. In 1Samuel 16:7 the second half of this verse says this: "...for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Then in 2Corinthians 3:11 He says this: "For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory." Lastly; let us not forget that image and even beauty of this world fades as 2Corinthians 4:16 reminds us: "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day."

So? What now? How do we begin to believe the truth about who we are and begin to break down the wall of lies that have shaped us for so long? We can start by searching God's word on who we are and how He sees us. After all, shouldn't He be the Author of what matters to us?

• "Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father's house, The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your Lord." -Psalm 45:10-11

• "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb; I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." -Psalm 139:13-14

• "Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you," declares the Lord GOD.-Ezekiel 16:14

• "Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all." Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.-Proverbs 31:29-30

• "You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon." -Song of Solomon 4:9,15

There are so many more truths and promises in God's word for you. Delight yourself in His word. He wants to set you free from the bondage of the lies you have believed. He has so much to say to you. YOU are beautiful because GOD made you beautiful. No one can take that from you. If your husband doesn't see you with the eyes of Christ it will not matter what your outer appearance ever looks like for he will not know you as you are.

I want to leave you today with a link to a video that I think every woman needs to hear about the beauty of a woman: Measure of Beauty

My prayer for you is that your eyes will be opened to what a beautiful and unique woman you are. That you will truly believe you were hand made by God of the Universe and He has a plan and a purpose for your life that can not be defined by what any person here on earth thinks or sees you as. No one can hinder your ability to walk in the fullness of God for your life... no one but you, of course. Stop believing the world and start believing God!

©2009 Michelle Truax

Michelle resides in Atlanta, GA and has worked for Fireproof Ministries for 5 years. She is their Event Coordinator and writes a blog for wives of sex addicts. She has two grown children, both men are her pride and joy. She loves adventure, the outdoors, animals, music and art. She is an over-comer of being a teenage single mother and being married to a sex addict.

Submissions for FREEDOM'S CALLING Over-Comer's Blog: CLICK HERE

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DOMESTIC MINOR SEX TRAFFICKING - IDENTIFICATION AND RESPONSE TO VICTIMS July 30, FORT MYERS, FL - Florida Gulf Coast University Division of Justice Studies, in collaboration with Continuing Education and Off-Campus Programs, and in partnership with Lee County Sheriff's Office, presents "Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking - Identification and Response to the Victims" part of the Human Slavery Symposium Series II, 2009-10, 8:30 a.m. to noon, Thursday, July 30 at the Sugden Welcome Center. The program is free and open to the public; registration and refreshments are from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Presenter for this conference is founder and president of Shared Hope International and former U.S. Congresswoman Linda Smith. While still a member of the U.S. Congress, Smith traveled to Falkland Road in Mumbai, India. The hopeless faces of desperate woman and children forced into prostitution compelled her to found Shared Hope International (SHI). For more information

NATIONAL REPORT on DOMESTIC MINOR SEX TRAFFICKING - Released July 21 by Shared Hope International

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Our 4TH ANNUAL STRIP CLUB OUTREACH & XXX MINISTRY TRAINING here in Fort Myers has been RESCHEDULED to Sept 1-3. We'll be partnering up with Word of Life Ministries for their Great Outpouring 2 Worship Conference featuring Robert Stearns, Rick Pino & JoAnn McFatter Sept 3-5. Registration required for training. $25 Manual Fee. Limited seating due to intimacy & personal ministry.

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Suffering From Prejudice

SUFFERING FROM PREJUDICE?

Miriam-Webster’s Definition of Prejudice:

1 :injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights ; especially: detriment to one's legal rights or claims

2 a (1) :preconceived judgment or opinion (2):an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge b: an instance of such judgment or opinion c: an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics

What a shame, what folly to give advice before listening to the facts. Proverbs 18:13

Intelligent people are always open to new ideas. In fact they look for them. Proverbs 18:15

Any story sounds true, until someone sets the record straight. Proverbs 18:17

Ever been falsely accused of something? Ever realize that someone is desperately trying to discredit you or slander you? Has God exposed evidence of people passing judgement upon you when you know they haven’t even bothered to ask you your side of the story?

It hurts & unfortunately it occurs everyday and every one of us has suffered the devastating effects of such prejudice. Is it right? Absolutely not, but in a fallen (sinful) world, it happens and we are faced with how to react to such circumstances.

We have options; we can take matters into our own hands and defend ourselves. There is scripture that addresses this methodology and it states “don’t defend yourselves, vengeance is mine says the Lord” (Romans 12:19-20). God will not be mocked and what a person sows he shall reap. (Galatians 6:7) Or we can release the matter to the God and let Him handle it.

“Well, Julie”, you say, “that’s all fine and dandy, but what about the fact that they have lied and the evidence of the strife, jealousy, control and division is so obvious?! Besides that, they really hurt me!”

God tells us that we must forgive our brother (or sister) 70 times 7, or as many times as they ask. (Matthew 18:21-22) That may seem really hard, especially depending on the depth of the wound that others have inflicted upon you. Be assured that with God all things are possible. (Luke 19:26) Ask the Lord to help you do this. Forgive so that your sins will be forgiven. (Matthew 18:21-35)

I know from experience that when you choose to not forgive someone, it will eventually result in bitterness and finally rebellion against God. You don’t want to go there, for this will result in separation from God: His protection, His guidance & blessings. My decision to not forgive led me to a decade of captivity: hopelessness, anger, confusion, resentment, adultery, drug addictions, suicidal tendencies and the involvement in the industry of adult entertainment, sexual exploitation and trafficking - a slow, gradual, downward destructive spiral in my life.

Since I recommitted my life (repented of my sins, asked Jesus to come back into my heart & yielded to His word), I have had plenty of opportunities to take up (hold on & refuse to forgive & release into God’s hands) an offense (a wrong or a perceived wrong done to you by another). Choosing to hold onto the offense will literally kill you spiritually, mentally and in some cases affect you adversely physically. I have heard it said that not forgiving someone is like drinking the cup of poison meant for the other person. Ew, you don't want to do this!

I couldn’t begin to count all the offenses I have experienced in the past 6 years and beyond. Nor would I want to, for that is not the purpose of this message. I will tell you that every time I was betrayed or promised something that never came to pass, it hurt deeply and regardless of how many times it happens; processing those feelings is always a challenge. However, the more it does happen and you handle it with a biblical perspective, realizing that nothing happens to you that God does not allow and that He is perfecting His character in you, it does enable you to not spend as much time being stuck there. You do learn to forgive and move on knowing you can trust God to be faithful to calm you or the storm in the middle of what you're facing.

I don’t know what has happened to you that was unfair or how you have been judged wrongly, but I know Someone that was betrayed & treated the same way. His demonstration to us while still hanging on the cross, illegally judged, physically beaten beyond human recognition, was to ask, ‘Father, forgive these people because they don’t know what they are doing.’ (Luke 23:34)

I’m sorry for the wounds and hurts that have happened to you and know full well what it feels like, but we must choose to follow Christ’s example of forgiveness. No, they might not deserve to be forgiven, but we don’t deserve to be forgiven for our sins either. For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) A person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the one who has broken all of God’s laws.(James 2:10) God graciously, through Jesus Christ, does forgive them & us because He paid the price for all our sins.

It may seem like the toughest thing you have ever had to do and you might think it’s impossible to do. Believe me, I did too! I encourage you to ask the Lord to help you and I know He will. He has helped me to forgive many, many, many offenses. You may have to speak out loud that you forgive that person that wronged you even if you don’t feel like you have. You may have to say it over and over and over and over and over and over again and again. It’s a process, depending on the deepness of the wound(s). I still have to do this at times.

Just do it and trust Christ that He will heal you. Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8) the Bible says that by His (Jesus Christ) stripes (wounds, cuts & abrasions) we are healed (Isaiah 53:3). Remember too, that wounded people hurt other people. Choose to forgive them & pray for those that have hurt you. (Matthew 5:44)

And to avoid being a victim to that controlling, judgmental, jealous spirit of Jezebel and being able to make sound decisions, Proverbs 18 gives us three basic principles:

1) Get the facts before answering.

2) Be open to new ideas.

3) Make sure you hear both sides of the story before judging.

All three principles center on seeking additional information. This is difficult work, but the only alternative is prejudice.

If you have realized that you’ve been prejudiced towards another, ask the Lord to forgive you. For some of you, it may entail asking forgiveness from the individual(s) you judged. I pray that you will submit to the Holy Spirit, as I know that He will not direct incorrectly and His perfect will is for you to be free from prejudice & unforgiveness.

Remember too, that God’s word says that the world will know us (brothers and sisters in Christ) by our love for one with another. (John 13:35) God calls for unity in His church (that’s cross-denominational) and it grieves Him when this is not happening. (Ephesians 4:30-31)

Don’t let prejudice and unforgiveness hold you back from becoming all that God destined and purposed you to be. Freedom is calling you, will you respond? My prayer for you is that you will make sound decisions, not suffer from prejudice or be influenced by any spirits other than the Holy Spirit. May God give you the revelation of who He is & who you are in Him. You are more than an over-comer!

©2009 Julie Shematz

Pastor Julie Shematz is an educated fine artist and alumnus of Indiana University who enjoys horseback riding, cooking and gardening. Ordained as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Word of Life Ministries, she is over-comer of growing up fatherless, rape, depression, attempted suicides, abortion, divorce, drug addiction, sexual exploitation & trafficking. Passionate about preventing sexual exploitation and assisting victims to become over-comers, she is the founder of Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries and resides in Fort Myers, FL with her husband Steve and their dachshund, Jehu.

If this message has touched you in any way, or you are struggling with forgiveness or prejudice, please contact us. We’d like to hear from you, pray for you & encourage you that forgiveness is possible.

Submissions for FREEDOM'S CALLING Over-Comer's Blog: CLICK HERE

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Please join us & intercessors world wide for theCALL2XXX from 8-9am EST every Friday to pray for the sex industry, victims of sexual exploitation & the ministries working to make a difference. Prayer guide: CLICK HERE

DOMESTIC MINOR SEX TRAFFICKING - IDENTIFICATION AND RESPONSE TO VICTIMS July 30 Fort Myers, FL

Florida Gulf Coast University Division of Justice Studies, in collaboration with Continuing Education and Off-Campus Programs, and in partnership with Lee County Sheriff's Office, presents "Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking - Identification and Response to the Victims" part of the Human Slavery Symposium Series II, 2009-10, 8:30 a.m. to noon, Thursday, July 30 at the Sugden Welcome Center. The program is free and open to the public; registration and refreshments are from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Our 4TH ANNUAL STRIP CLUB OUTREACH & XXX MINISTRY TRAINING here in Fort Myers has been RESCHEDULED to Sept 1-3. We'll be partnering up with Word of Life Ministries for their Worship Conference featuring Robert Stearns, Rick Pino & JoAnn McFadder Sept 3-5. More information coming soon.

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Beauty From Ashes™ International Ministries

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239.939.9218

877.4BFA SOS (423.2767) International Toll Free Help Line

www.BeautyFromAshes.org

AWARENESS & PREVENTION • REACH & RESCUE • TEACH & DEMONSTRATE • TRAIN & SEND

National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking

Shared Hope International’s Report on

Child Sexual Slavery in America

In 2006 Shared Hope International received a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to perform field research on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST)—the sex trafficking of American children. The National Report is the culmination of ten field assessments conducted in targeted locations in the United States, providing a comprehensive understanding of child sex trafficking across America. This unprecedented report reveals the starling reality that American children are being recruited from our neighborhoods and sold on our streets!

The National Report found misidentification of victims to be the primary barrier to properly addressing America’s trafficked children. Consequently, this misidentification often leads to the criminalization of victims, barring them from receiving proper treatment and care. In fact, in nearly every location American child victims of sex trafficking are being arrested for the crime committed against them while their abusers walk free. In addition, the study found a severe lack of appropriate protective and therapeutic shelters. Finally, the National Report emphasizes that although buyers are a critical in addressing the issue of child sex trafficking, buyers most often escape criminalization.

National Report

MINORS IN RHODE ISLAND CAN BE STRIPPERS?! Check State Laws - ABOLITION NOW

MINORS IN RHODE ISLAND CAN BE STRIPPERS

01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, July 21, 2009
By Amanda Milkovits
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE –– Rhode Island teens under 18 can’t work with power saws or bang nails up on roofs.

But dance at strip clubs? Sure. Just as long as the teens submit work permits, and are off the stripper’s pole by 11:30 on school nights.

It’s enough to surprise even those in America’s mecca of striptease and sin –– Las Vegas.

"Everybody buzzes about ‘Nevada and Sin City, tsk, tsk,’ " said Edie Cartwright, spokeswoman for the Nevada attorney general’s office. "But we regulate it."

Providence police recently discovered that teen job opportunities extend into the local adult entertainment world while they were investigating a 16-year-old runaway from Boston. The girl told detectives that she worked at Cheaters strip club this spring, and the police got tips about other underage girls working at another club on Allens Avenue.

That’s when the police found that neither state law, nor city ordinance bars minors from working at strip clubs. Those under 18 can’t buy pornography, and no one may take pictures or film minors in sexually suggestive ways. But the law doesn’t stop underage teens from stripping for money. Even if the police saw underage boys or girls on stage at a strip club, they wouldn’t be able to charge them or the club owners with a crime.

"I’ve been doing this a long time," said youth services Sgt. Carl Weston, "and I can’t find anything that says it’s illegal for a 16-year-old or a 17-year-old to take her top off and dance."

State law says that anyone who employs a person under 18 for prostitution or for "any other lewd or indecent act" faces up to 20 years in prison and up to $20,000 in fines. But that isn’t enough to prevent underage girls from working in strip clubs, said senior assistant city solicitor Kevin McHugh, who researched the issue a dozen years ago when a teenage dancer was found at a raided strip club.

The term "lewd or indecent" is subjective, McHugh said, and is applied to behavior that’s protected by the First Amendment. "Since we have strip clubs in Providence," McHugh said, "citizens don’t consider [stripping] lewd."

With the age of consent at 16 in Rhode Island, the police worry that teenage strippers could take their business to the next level and offer sexual favors –– and it wouldn’t be illegal. State law currently allows indoor prostitution, and two bills intended to ban it have stalled in the General Assembly.

State and federal child labor laws dictate the number of hours and times of days that minors may work, and forbid certain jobs considered to be hazardous. For example, those under 16 can’t work on ladders or pump gas. Youths age 16 and 17 can’t work in manufacturing or excavation.

"Nowhere does it say anything about a kid not being able to strip," Weston said.

Establishments with city liquor licenses need to keep the teenagers from the booze, but not the stage."You can’t serve alcohol if you’re under 18," Weston said, "but you can be the target of a man’s groping hands at age 16."

But a Rhode Island teen stripper won’t find work in Massachusetts, where state law prohibits anyone from hiring minors under 18 for live performances involving sexual conduct.

Other states have had mixed encounters with the issue.

After a 12-year-old girl was found dancing nude in a club in Dallas last year, the city council swiftly passed rules barring minors from strip clubs and automatically revokes for a year licenses for sex businesses caught employing or entertaining minors.

But an Iowa county judge ruled last year that a striptease by a 17-year-old girl at a strip club was artistic expression protected by the First Amendment. The state attorney general’s office has asked the state Supreme Court to review the ruling.

Nevada, meanwhile, doesn’t let anyone under 18 work in casinos or in public dance halls where there is alcohol and there are no strip clubs in Nevada without one or the other, or both, said Cartwright, of the attorney general’s office. Minors aren’t even allowed to deliver mail to brothels.

When questioned about Rhode Island’s law, Michael J. Healey, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office, offered a copy of the current state law but did not comment for this article.

But Weston, of the Providence police, was adamant that the law should be changed.

"It leads to a societal breakdown," he said. "These are just little girls."

http://www.projo.com/news/..content/teen_dancers_07-21..-09_Q6F39ID_v80.3985e27.ht..ml

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This is absurd & an outrage. I danced in Providence when I was in college at what I considered the nicest "gentlemen's" club I ever worked in the United States, however, it was not exempt from illegal activities including drugs, prostitution and money laundering, not to mention alcoholism, verbal & physical abuse. A strip club is NO PLACE for a minor under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, let alone stripping. It's a cest pool for illegal activities & "lewd conduct."

With this exposed, it's a good time to CHECK THE LAWS IN YOUR STATE and MAKE CERTAIN that MINORS ARE PROHIBITED FROM STRIPPING. If there are loopholes or no such laws, it is a perfect opportunity for some very important legislative reform. ABOLITION & REFORMATION!

A society will never change what we tolerate.

Together we are better & can make a difference!

Passionate about preventing minors from becoming victims of sexual exploitation & assisting victims to become over-comers,
Julie

Pastor Julie Shematz
Beauty From Ashes™ International Ministries
Where Victims Become Over-Comers
239.939.9218
877.4BFA SOS (423.2767) International Toll Free Help Line
www.BeautyFromAshes.org

COURAGE & FREEDOM

COURAGE & FREEDOM

As I write this, it's 2:30 am on a Sunday night of a weekend filled with all kinds of oxymorons. My energy is drained to the point of minimal desire for correct grammar or sentence structure in this note. I just need to write. I need to put these swirling thoughts and conflicting emotions into something solid. Maybe once they are jotted down onto a screen, I will feel as if they've left me-- and I can rest.

It started on Tuesday. I received a call from her, and I could hear her 'boyfriend' rummaging through things in the background. Every time he came into the room, she had to hang up the phone. This 'boyfriend' was not the romantic kind, his idea of love consisted of encouraging her to engage in self-destruction and perversion to feed his drug habit. Although she was torn by her 'love' for him, she was starting to fear for her life, so she called me.

Ready to get out of her world of prostitution and crack hotels, she followed my phone instructions to the nearest Marta station with only the belongings she could carry on her back. When I met her at the hospital, I saw that her bones were protruding through her chest, and, since the last time I saw her, her eyes had morphed from somewhat alive into a blank stare of hopelessness.

"I'm here because I have plans to harm myself," she flatly shared with the admissions coordinator. After placing her in privacy for about 20 minutes, we headed through the double doors into the blank, empty white room they had prepared for her. It matches her eyes, I thought, as she pulled out her phone and began text messaging her 'friends' to tell them she was getting help.

The nurses came and went, and so did her stories, as I sat in this foreign room with her, wanting to provide a warm bed for her but knowing the hospital restraints might soon prove to be a saving grace as she came down from the drugs. After the nurses told me she was "1013'ed", on suicide watch and not able to leave, I told her I'd be back and headed to my part-time job as social coordinator for my apartment complex. Ironically, it was pizza party night-- and I was the host.

Life can be altogether confusing at times, and the stark contrast of mediocre and conventional living coupled with the reality of incredible pain and suffering have always baffled me, because I seem to bounce back and forth between the two on a consistent basis. No wonder I feel wobbly at times.

After the residents enjoyed their pizza and ice cream sundaes, I grabbed my belongings and headed back to the hospital. Apparently her last few hours while I was away were far from a party for her and the hospital staff...

"She's a feisty little one," a nurse told me when I returned. "We had to restrain her and she got out of the restraints so we had to sedate her."

"I'm sorry," I said, as if I could've somehow avoided their efforts by staying in the hospital room. I would soon come to see that no amount of persuasion can change the human will, once someone's mind is made up.

I hesitantly walked into her room and prayed for guidance. When I walked up to her bed, she broke into tears. I ran my fingers over her hair and I squeezed her shoulder. "I had a little spell," she said. "I don't know what got into me and I don't know why I did that."
She was condemning herself now. The shame had set in.

She didn't need a lecture at this point, so I knelt down to her level and looked her in the eyes and said, "Probably because your freedom was being taken away at that moment."

Initially, she was surprised that I understood, but she quickly nodded and agreed.

"It's strange how we have to give up some of our freedom for a short period of time to receive ultimate freedom, huh? That true, lasting peace and joy in a new life free from the bondage of addiction," I commented, almost under my breath.

She glanced over my way yet again and agreed. But did she really?

The days passed, and her lack of insurance left her in a state run psychiatric hospital. Walking into the facility on Saturday, I immediately felt that the place was 'other-worldly'. Inside the fenced in playground, patients were walking around in circles talking to themselves, others were paranoid and screaming because 'he was looking at me the wrong way'. All I knew to do was pray -- I tried not to stare, judge, or fear as I rang the doorbell to the locked facility.

I met with her and the nurse, we did the exit assessment and walked in silence to my car. It felt good to be taking her to a home, but I couldn't help but wonder about the people who were at this hospital for good. It was Independence Day-- yet their mental illness was keeping them in jail-like conditions, both mentally and physically.

---

A few hours, a shopping trip and a full stomach later, we arrived at our emergency shelter. Excited to start her new life, she eagerly signed her application forms. She walked around the house, examining the rooms and debating whether or not she could make this new place her home. She began to settle in and it was time for me to leave.

Going through the normal procedure, I asked for her purse to check and retrieved her phone to place in safe keeping. Knowing that she wasn't able to have her personal phone was one thing, but the moment it was actually taken away, a deep fear sparked inside her and she began to cry.

Her life had been a constant battle for survival. Her body had been used as 'property' of someone else and alternating hotel rooms were her home(s), but that phone was HERS, one thing that she could use to weather the storms of living on the streets. The numbers all told stories of other homeless people she called 'friends', those who were just trying to make it through their brokenness for one more day, people like HER. People more like US than we care to admit.

Her mind had now begun to take her back to the streets. She was no longer on the path to freedom-- she was afraid. The fear of the unknown seized control, and she had her mind made up-- "I'm going back to the crack and back to him," she said, as large tears rolled down her checks. "I thought I could do this but I can't."

We talked for many minutes in that beautiful home. We talked about the path she had been taking, the reason she called for help, and what could happen if she left. We talked about her future and her intelligence and her beauty and how the streets and drugs and 'johns' had all promised her freedom but given her slavery. Yet she was determined to return to them. They were all she'd ever known and she wasn't ready to start a new journey yet-- not tonight at least.

Since she is an adult, we had no choice but to let her leave. Not wanting her to 'find ways' to get a bus ticket back to the city, I drove her there. "You can drop me off anywhere near Midtown," she said. "I'm sorry for making you go out of your way. I bet you're frustrated with me."

My words were not enough as I expressed to her that my frustration was FOR her, not AT her. My sadness was not because she had taken 30 hours out of my workweek, or that I missed the 4th of July celebration with friends and family, but because I witnessed her being offered true freedom and I saw her turn her back on it. My heart broke because I knew what she was going to have to do that night just to have a place to sleep when she had the most beautiful warm and safe bedroom waiting for her across town.

"Freedom" is defined as "personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery". As we drove through the city that 4th of July, violent and beautiful fireworks lit up the sky, and I began to understand the concept of freedom in a way I never really wanted to grasp, until now. Freedom is so much more 'personal' than any other right. It can be given, but the very nature of freedom is that it can just as easily be refused.

We pulled in next to a slew of restaurants, one being a pizzeria. "This is as good as anywhere," she said. The irony of it crossed my brain for a moment, but it was soon overshadowed by the pain of seeing her step out, walk into the night and walk right back into the slavery of addiction. Oh the power of human decision. I'm in awe of it and annoyed by it all together at once.

TRUE freedom is so powerful that once we see a glimpse of it, we desire to return to it during moments of clarity. It's a pull toward all that God created us to be-- relational beings with the power to choose Him or not. But Love remains regardless of the choice.

God's gift of human free will shows us that God values our ability to choose over His desire for us to make the right choice. We could've been created as beings who would always do what He wants at the moment He wants it-- but that is not the nature of love. We could've been created to HAVE to choose to live in relationship with Jesus-- but what good is a love relationship when it's forced? Freedom and love simply cannot be divorced from each other.

Freedom is placed before us in many areas of life--but we MUST grasp it-- and cling to it-- because fear will try it's very best to paralyze us. The courage to walk in true freedom is not the easy route-- it requires faith in the unknown.

The courage to release others to make their own choices can be heartbreakingly painful-- but I've come to see that it's the essence of love. Even when it hurts.

"People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People who really want help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway. Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway." - Mother Teresa

©2009, Julie Riggs

Julie Riggs is the founder & Executive Director of Redeemed, Inc. in Atlanta, GA. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Georgia. Redeemed recently opened a rescue shelter/home for female adult victims of sexual exploitation.