One of the sad lowlights (as opposed to highlights) in the article linked above is this:
"New York police arrested a Florida mother Wednesday for allegedly traveling to Manhattan to prostitute her 15-year-old daughter."
What would cause a mother to carry out such an offense? It can't be that they just need the money, can it? I've known impoverished moms who would never think of such an idea.
As a Christian, I know that we are called to come along side people who are at risk and to share with them the love of Christ. This takes on many forms. Yours may be a big ministry obvious to all, something nearly invisible (but not invisible to our LORD), or something in between. Whatever your calling may be, to not follow it is to deny God and that is one uncomfortable place to sit.
There is a largely hidden world of pain, desperate pain, right within our midst. It is in the secret corners of your family and my family. Anguish assaults all of us. No one is exempt. Could it be that this mother, who represents untold thousands more similar to her, is only acting out on her desperation? That doesn't make her actions acceptable at all but it does give us a starting place from which to come along side her as Christians and find ways to fulfill Galatians 6:2 "Carry each other's burdens and in so doing you fulfill the law of Christ."
Whenever I have found myself in the privileged role of burden carrier, I have found it to be inspiring for a couple basic reasons. First, to carry another person's burdens means that the other person trusts me enough to hand off that which she or he has been carrying alone, perhaps for a life time. Second, as the one carrying the burden with them, my focus is beyond me. I see that I am not alone in this world in my personal sufferings. In some way I don't understand, when I carry another person's burden with them, my personal burden becomes easier to carry, even if that person knows nothing of my burden.
Are you carrying a burden alone? There's no need to do so. There are people near you who would like to carry your burden with (not for) you.
OR
Are you leading such a self absorbed life that you have no time to carry another human being's burden? If you're in this category, I pity you because you are missing the greatest privilege of all. Take your life's focus off yourself and find someone who needs you to help carry their burden. Chances are great this person won't just appear. But then again, as happened to me recently, they appeared out of nowhere, and for a brief time, I was able to carry their burden with them. That was an absolute privilege! Peace.
