ODJ: taking root
November 4, 2011
Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants (v.7).
READ: Luke 8:5-15
A few years ago, I wrote about three street kids— Saddam, Moses, and Charles. At the time, I had helped lead them to a Christian home for children who had no other place to live. I thought the boys would be elated to leave their life of extreme suffering behind. But after only one month in his new environment, Saddam called to tell me that Charles, age 11, had run away.
To help me understand why Charles preferred the streets, Saddam explained that 2 years earlier the orphaned boy had been coerced into a child prostitution ring where he could make 500 Ugandan shillings (about 25 cents US) each time he let someone sexually abuse him. Refusing to give up on Charles, I solicited help from the local police and from an organization that helps rescue children from commercial sexual exploitation. Sadly, our efforts were in vain as Charles chose to continue down his familiar, treacherous path.
A mere child, Charles epitomizes 1 Timothy 6:10, which says, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”
Though it was evil men who lured the vulnerable Charles into the trade, it was Charles who let the equivalent of 25 cents tempt him to wander from faith and safety. He chose to return to a place that will ultimately bring him sorrow upon sorrow.
Getting a child out of a life-threatening situation is sometimes the simplest part. It’s helping him to heal and press on in his new life that is often the biggest challenge.
Today, pray for children around the world who are struggling to overcome a difficult past. May they be like seeds that fall on fertile soil—growing in God (Luke 8:8,15). —Roxanne Robbins
How can you help at-risk children this week? Why is it vital that we avoid the love of money?
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