Do we pray for them?

So this is going to be an odd post but something that I have been thinking about and feeling convicted about. I will say that this will also be a very sensitive post and I hope that I do not offend anyone that I am writing about this topic, but for some reason today I feel it is important.

It is said that the porn industry is a 1billion dollar a year industry. Can you believe that 1BILLION dollars!

I got to thinking about this after hearing about an episode on a rising popular TV show that dealt with a case involving the porn industry. I was disgusted that TV shows would even need to go that far to find some "entertainment" to the viewers. But whether I like it or not porn is entertainment to many people and the idea of it and anything dealing with it is going to draw people.

I went to bed last night absolutely furious, angry because I liked that particular TV show and naively thought that it was above the rest of television ploys for higher ratings. I was also angry that there is such a thing as sexual exploitation, that women and men sexually exploit themselves, that people sexually exploit children etc... I was furious...and wrathful.

In my heart I was crying out to God to just be rid of all that JUNK once and for all. And while i was praying God convicted me and the question arose..."Sara, instead of praying for these people's destruction, why are you not praying for there restoration?"

"because they don't deserve it, they help destroy families, they help destroy true beauty, they dehumanize women, men, and children...they don't deserve restoration, they don't deserve forgiveness."

"first of all, neither do you. Second of all, you forget that they are human too. Before the women grew up and made the choices that they made to pose etc...they were once little girls. The men that look at magazines were once little boys....the people that direct, make, produce, and sell these materials were all children once...they all have a story. Some may have lacked a home with values, others lacked love needed to help guide them to making better decisions. Some were probably abused, neglected and used."

I have never once thought of the need to pray for the men and women involved in the porn industry. I have been as Jonah was to Nineveh "God must destroy them" mentality. I have forgotten that these men and women involved are human even if they do contribute to dehumanizing others.

For the first time I sat and I cried as I wondered about these women that willfully pose themselves for pictures. What are there real names? What did they face as children/ teenagers/ young adults that helped aid them to making the decision to expose themselves? Were they abused? Were they not loved? What influenced them? What tempted them? What lies did they believe in?

I wept and cried because for the first time I grieved for their souls, for the first time i realized how very human they are, and I had compassion towards them. I realized their desperate need for Christ to come into their hearts and bring healing, peace, comfort, mercy, and true love.

I don't want to be like Jonah who cared more for a tree than he did for souls.

I'm going to pray and ask God to be merciful, compassionate, loving, gracious, and kind, and to allow as many as he wills for those in that industry to know the Saving power of his son, Jesus Christ.