I know you dropped me off at my mom’s house for the weekend, but I left to see a guy I met online, and we had sex. 

“You are a beloved child of the King. I pray for the day you see your worth as the Lord sees it. I am here for you, and we can talk about it.”

I snuck a phone upstairs so that I could send “sext” messages to the guy I’m dating. He gets mad at me when I don’t send them.

“You are a precious gem. The Lord loves you and so do I. Love does not look like threats. I am here for you, and we can talk about it.”

I took the drugs to school so my boyfriend would still love me. He expects me to sell with him. I know he loves me though, he uses the money to buy me gifts. 

“You are loved, sweet girl. I am so glad I know you and Jesus wants you to know Him too. He bought you the best gift of all. I am here for you, and we can talk about it.”

These very real conversations are ones that I have had with the precious girls at Sparrow. While each young lady is sharing her story and her trauma, I listen. I pray courage over her as she speaks, and truthfully, I pray courage over me. Courage that I will be attentive, calm, loving, and compassionate, and mostly, filled with God’s grace. 

To be able to hear these stories day after day, I must follow the theme for Sparrow this year. I must, go boldly and confidently into God’s presence. I must have deep and unwavering faith in Him and His answers. 

None of our girl’s stories are easy. Each one has bump after bump of hurt and the Lord calls me into this hurt. He calls me to sit in the discomfort, to hug, cry, and hold these sweet and beautiful souls as they wail about the loss of their innocence. 

The fiercely brave young women that walk into Sparrow are beautiful in the eyes of God. Their lives and their stories matter. The hurt that they have experienced is real. They have been lied to again and again by the enemy. The repetition of the lies becomes so overwhelming they start to believe it’s true. 

Join me today in helping a girl you know. 

The girl who is brave, fierce, intelligent, witty, kind, and hurting needs you. She needs to hear you tell her who she really is, the her who God says she is. She is a joyful treasure who can move forward with her head held high and shining with the bold confidence of the grace that has covered her!

/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/girl-843076_960_720-300×200.jpg