June 16, 2018
Standing outside, waiting to talk to the bouncer at the strip club, the sign on the door caught my eye. Proudly and boldly, the sign displayed the costs of attending this strip club.
$75 for VIP access
$20 for topless
$10 for general admission
I instantly felt sickness and a bit of rage boil up inside. I recalled the stories I’ve heard over the past couple years about the true cost of working in the strip clubs: losing your own self worth, deep rooted shame, constant comparison, depression. The list goes on. But somehow, a $10 general admission charge is enough to cover all those deep emotional wounds created by working in the sex industry? Not even their highest charge, the $75 VIP access, is enough in my eyes; nor should it be.
In DTS, I remember the impact of the truth that God paid the ultimate price for my heart. He deemed me worthy of a cost beyond our own minds’ comprehension. God sent His son, His beloved, to bear the weight of my sin - to carry my cross, to cry my tears, to receive my punishment - because there was nothing more He could give to show how much I mean to Him. In essence, I was priceless. I was bought for a price the world could never compete with.
These truths are life-changing. They gave me the freedom to walk boldly and confidently in who I was created to be. They gave me the understanding of just how much God cares about having a relationship with me. They gave me perspective; I could no longer settle for less than God’s best because if He was willing to do all that to win my heart, there’s no way He’d want anything mediocre for me.
Most of the girls in the sex industry don’t fully understand the worth they carry; they don’t understand that God’s price for them is far greater than the sign on the front door of their work. Night after night, customers come in telling them that their greatest worth is $75, without even verbally telling them. No matter how strong and resilient a heart may be, after countless nights of that, it’s hard to not start believing that one’s worth is actually that low.
This is why what Treasures, our partner ministry, does is so important. Each month they visit the strip clubs in Los Angeles to remind the girls that they are loved, valued, and purposed. And even if they only hear that once, even if we only get to meet the girls once, our prayer is that that truth takes root in their hearts.
Friday night, although we were unable to go into the strip clubs we visited, we were able to give 146 gifts to the bouncers who gave the gifts to the girls on our behalf. Because of what’s inside these gifts, we count a night like that a win. Each gift has a short booklet filled with truths about who each of these girls are. Covered in prayer, these booklets go in as a powerful message that they are cared for and loved by the ministry, by God, and by people who believe in their God-given value. Please pray with us that God’s truth about each of these girls’ worth be louder than the lie the enemy - and ultimately the industry - tells them.