Not Losing Hope.

Anxiety.

Fear.

Nausea.

Nervousness.

Loss of appetite.

A need for a mother, a father.

Reconsidering my worth.

My sanity.

Claustrophobic.

Irrational?

Rational.

Hopeless.

Defeated.

Shame.

A year ago today, I sat in a gym and learned about the horror of sex trafficking. Today, I tried to put myself in one girl's shoes. Taken from my family, forced to relinquish control of my body and question its perfect design.

Perhaps the list of words above are just a small piece of what each young girl is feeling. Or perhaps there is no feeling at all, and emotion has been replaced by a cold indifference.

I.don't.know.

But I care. A lot. My heart cares so deeply for these girls. I care about their physical state and their emotional scars. I care about the food they are fed and the shame that plagues their eyes. I care.

But in my heart of hearts, I care most deeply about their souls. Each and every one of them.

See, weakness is a hard thing for me. I'm not talking about trivial weaknesses. I'm talking about the weaknesses that bring me to my knees; weaknesses that make me catch my breath and afford me no other alternative but to simply pray.

Could those type of weaknesses possibly bring strength?

Furthermore, the situations I am placed in are FAR from what each of these girls are enduring each and every second of each and every day.

Could HER weaknesses truly bring strength?

The answer: YES. Absolutely yes.

For when we are weak, deeply conscious of our weaknesses, then the strength of Christ rests upon us.

Friends, that's what each of us is here for: to be clay in His hands.


Sweet girls,
I am praying for you today. Praying that your soul, your heart, your life would be completely dependent on HIM so that you begin to rest in the knowledge that you are never, ever alone. I am praying that you will know that your story is beautiful. and God wants to use it for His glory. May you become dead to your own fears, and instead fill up your life with His power, which is made perfect in your weakness. You can be a tool which is used to make Christ's power perfect. Not by anything you have done or will do, but only by becoming an available vessel through which His power can flow right through you and into someone else's life. So that your pain can bring them their knees before their amazing Creator. So they too will be made weak and be used as such an incredible instrument of the Lord's divine power. And the cycle never ends. God will use this pain, beautiful people. I pray that you will remember this on the days you are defeated, on the night's when rescue seems hopeless. I pray that the relentless love of the Lord will ease your fear and capture your heart forever. It's okay to be weak, girls. Because He is strong. And when you are weak, you are strong in Him. There's no better place to be than that. You are loved. Incredibly, perfectly, deeply loved. I believe that God is dreaming big dreams for your lives.


"The sweat shall be wiped off your brows, the day of cooling and refreshing shall come, and you shall sit down forever under My shadow." (Acts 3:19; Hebrews 4:9)

"For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed you, and lead you to the living fountains of water". (Revelation 7:17)

"The tears shall be wiped away from your eyes, and there shall be no more sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away, and, behold, I make all things new." (Revelation 21:4-5)

"I will change Marah into Naomi, the cup of sorrow into the cup of salvation; and the bread and water of affliction I will change into the wine of eternal consolation." (John 16:20-22; Luke 6:21)

"You shall take down your harps from the willows, and I will turn your tears into pearls, and your penitential psalms into songs of deliverance. You shall change your Ichabods into hosannas, and your laments of sorrow into hallelujahs of joy." (Revelation 19:1, 4, 6)


Not losing hope,
Lyss