Deanna

When I leave downtown Austin, to head back to my comfortable home with my warm BBQ lunch cooking on the grill I always struggle to fight back the tears.  This week the tears flowed downtown; I could not even wait to get in the car. 
I met Deanna this month, a young girl who was previously a prostitute.  I have never met a prostitiute before, except for Julia Roberts anyways.  The life is not nearly as glamorous as Pretty Woman.  I saw her crying multiple times that morning.  I finally got the confidence to approach her and she told me her story.  She is broke, she has a home, but it is too far to get there each day.  She has a boyfriend who starts a job on Tuesday, so they need to stay downtown until he makes enough money so they can commute to their small home near Bastrop.  She is pondering the thought of going back into prostitution so she can make enough money to get a car.  I usually just listen, but this time I pleaded with her to not go back into that prison.  I encouraged she had a great boyfriend who loved her and he needed her to trust him and keep herself for him.  It was the hardest meeting I have had to date, but I think she impacted me more than I her.
Earlier that morning during my quiet time, I was thinking about how I keep going back into my sin, the sin of anger, jealousy and unforgiveness.  Am I any different than she?  Sometimes it seems easier to live in sin than to just trust. 
She asked if she could borrow my phone to call her mom and tell her she was ok.  I sat and watched the tears stream down her face as she told her mom it would be different this time.  I just have to pray for her and believe this time it will be.