Christian Soldier

I was picking up a prostitute. The deal was going to be, I would pay her $40 …and she would give me oral sex. Now she was in the car, and she was showing me where to go. The conversation that took place inside the rental will forever live locked away in that little box of junk we’ll never let our mothers hear. This whole time I am thinking of Jesus. She is scratching her arms almost violently and still smoking her cigarette. She’s tweaking’. I’m trying to find out how much she’s gonna charge for a blow-job. She is rocking back and forth probably due to anxiety. Not from getting paid by a stranger to perform oral, but from the length of time it’s been since she’s gotten high. Maybe a few hours I assume. And still,... I am thinking of Jesus. She is telling me where to turn and I’m repeating it. “Turn left” she says. “Turn Left on 27th Avenue?” I enunciate well as if someone else is listening. She tells me to turn down a small trail off of an even less traveled road. I realize there are nothing but trees around us which offer good cover. A few minutes later, she’s running into traffic to try and get away from me and I’m laughing in amusement as I half-heartedly chase her down. She’s screaming at me and crying and I can’t help but laugh. She makes it to a pay-phone and dials 9-1-1 before I can stop her. A truck roars into the parking lot where the pay-phone is located and comes to a screeching halt as two police officers jump out. I grab the lady’s arm and slam her to the ground, put hand-cuffs on her and tell her to stop resisting arrest. I had just picked up my first prostitute for a sting operation, and I couldn’t help but think about how this poor lady has ended up here. When I see what’s happened to the young women in the city, The pain breaks my heart. Lamentations 3:51 The Message I could not help but think about how difficult it would be to share the love of Christ with her after I just spoke to her like she was nothing but a worthless piece of garbage. How difficult it would have been after making her believe, that me, allowing her to give me a blow-job for $40 is the best thing that will happen to her today. Doesn’t sound like your typical Christian book huh? If this story is disturbing, it should be. It’s vulgar. It’s dirty. It’s abrasive. Funny thing is, I’ve found that this is exactly where the church is. Not the corporate body of people who meet for worship on Sunday or the building in which they meet, but the kingdom. Where Jesus is trying to reach those lost in desperation and hopelessness.