In Rachel Lloyd's book Girls Like Us she talks about how the recruitment of girls into the sex industry generally looks the same for all girls, but the leaving looks different for each girl. They are all lured by a pimp who preys upon their vulnerability. They offer something the girl is looking for. Maybe a father figure or her desire to be part of a family. Once a girl becomes controlled by that pimp, getting her to leave a life that she's come to know as familiar looks different for each and every girl. It's hard to break that bond that has been established with her pimp and she may have to "leave" several times before she is ready to leave for good.
It's hard not to get discouraged at times. You want to feel like your efforts are making a difference. We pour our hearts into outreach and telling these girls their worth in Christ, but ultimately it is not the power of the one who speaks that determines whether God's Word will bear fruit. It ultimately depends on God's timing and the condition of the persons heart you are reaching out to.
The Parable of the Sower
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
