Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. She sold sex for money to survive. I have worked with many working girls throughout my career as a sexual assault worker. Many of them were Mary Magdalenes: women with amazing stories of strength, and change. Women who met a revolutionary agent of amazing charisma: another woman who did not judge them.
The common thread with all the prostituting women’s stories was respect and acceptance from other people – mentors who saw their spirit, not just their sexual behaviors of survival. These working girls have often had a history of abuse, but more importantly, a future of freedom. Their future has been afforded them by the kind and understanding non-judgmental words of others, a difference in their world of acting, doing and sexualizing for survival commodities.
While I know (think) that I could never undertake prostitution as an act of survival, I wonder at the strength of women who can. Women who can cut across societal norms, who can tolerate the judgments of those of us who profess Christian values, and those of us who are too scared to admit that “but for the grace of God, go I.” I admire these women for their tenacity, their courage in asking for help, and for their journey to a land of difference.
An email found its way to my inbox today. It was one of those few chain emails that made me stop and reflect on my global sisters of difference. I share it with you now:
There comes a time in every woman’s life when she has to take a close look at herself. Not at her circumstance, not at what she did, not how unfair life is, or not at whom made you do it. She has to just look at herself in all her glory and imperfection. Have you ever admired a woman who has been through changes in her life? Or have you made up in your mind that she is just messed up.
Before you make this mistake, take a closer look. A woman who has endured the most unusual life is someone of wisdom, someone who has been chosen by God to go through things that have made her stronger.
Think of all the great women in the Bible: Mary Magdalene, Ruth and Naomi, the woman with an issue of blood flow, and Esther, to name a few. Mary was a prostitute, a very uneasy woman. But, by the time Jesus was done with her, she was His closest follower.
Esther was unfortunate in marrying an abusive man, but by the time God was done with her, she had saved a nation.
Women are so quick to beat the next one down instead of trying to hold her up. Before you wonder, “What’s up with her?” ask yourself, “What’s up with me?”
That woman could be my mother, sister, aunt, in-law, stepmother, niece, grandmother, great-grandmother, neighbor, friend, or co-worker, etc. That woman could be me.
Women are the carriers of life, not the channels of death. Let’s build and encourage each other, as did Ruth and Naomi. Pass this to all the women in your life. Encourage and Love, Forgive and Forget, and trust that the woman that receives this will be touched in some way.
Touched, I was, by this annoying chain email. I have read it one hundred times over. Whether looking for solace or guidance, it matters not. What matters is that I have heard and felt the word – the word of reaching out to those who do things that I cannot imagine ever doing myself. The word of WOMAN. The word of exploitation and intolerance from other women. Next time you pray for our sisters, why not instead pray for those that prey upon the unfortunate experiences that have driven our sisters to their chosen line of income – men. That’s what Jesus would have done. He didn’t condemn Mary Magdalene, He made her a best friend.
Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. She had Jesus as her best friend.
October is Sexual Violence Awareness Month. Do a Jesus act. Reach out and understand a working woman in all her glory and imperfection. That woman, different time, different circumstance, could be you.
Have you got a personal, and sexually violent story to share? Join us in Reclaim the Night. Have you ever marched?
Previous Articles about Sexual Violence Awareness Month:
Sexual Violence Awarness Month.
The Myths and Facts About Incest and Child Sexual Assault.
Mary Poppins was Written by a Child in Need of Protection.
I was Abused by Five different Predators as a Child: Sophie’s story.
My FAVORITE child focused article of the day: Homeschooling Sectarianism & How It Hurts Us.