“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowls of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another and forgiving one another. Of any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” Col. 3:13
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“Skye.” I hear a voice call my name, but I feel the hands of another grab my arm and spin me in the opposite direction.
It is another crowded and crazy Saturday night in our booming strip club off of North Avenue. I am here to make money and by the fervor of activity, I see there is plenty of it to be made.
Quickly forgetting about the man calling out my name, I am swallowed by the mixed crowd of people clamoring to get a private dance with me.
Time flies and the Benjamins start to burst out of my garter. I fasten my precious wad tightly with a rubber band.
“Skylar is next on stage. Let’s welcome Skye!” The DJ says in his annoying way.
Normally, when I am on this kind of roll, the last thing I want to do is stop. But, the beat of my favorite song gets me in the mood and I actually look forward to taking a break from the hustle of the floor. I approach the stage and feel my clear plastic heels click underneath me. Looking out into the sea of strangers and having their captured attention feels even better than my garter full of cash.
The familiar rush of energy starting at my toes and running up my legs feels like a surge of electricity. I throw my head back and let my long hair cascade around my clothed body. I try to relish in my moment of glory before my moment of shame.
Floating around the brass pole and pretending that all this attention does not affect me is part of my act. But, deep inside I know it is the fuel that drives this money machine. It is the biggest high a girl with no self-esteem can have—attention, adoration and lust can all be substitutes for love, especially when you are desperate for it.
“Skye. So, are you too good for me now that I can’t afford the VIP?” I hear a familiar voice as I turn around.
Victor looks like a shadow of his former self. His eyes are sunken into his skull and his thick mass of black hair is gone. It looks as if he has dropped about 30 pounds; thirty pounds he could not spare to loose.
“Vic?” The looks of him startled me and I was trying not to show it.
“Yeah. It’s me. I’m on a special diet. It is called cancer.” Victor was never one to shy away from sarcasm. He leans in to tip me and I notice the bill is a single dollar, not his usual twenty.
“I guess being a trader really was killing me, huh? All this time I was joking about it, but it actually was the truth.” His eyes had a hallow look to them.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” Not forgetting my audience, I turned to face the crowd. They were impatiently waiting to see what they had paid to see. As the two songs quickly faded out, another layer of my dignity went with it. Brushing that useless truth aside, I grabbed my gown and headed over to Victor’s table.
As I got dressed Victor looked at me harder than I have ever seen a man look at a woman before. Feeling awkward and embarrassed, I blushed. My flushed cheeks could not hide my feelings even in the dark club.
“I’m sorry. I just don’t want to forget how perfect you are. It will give me something good to focus on when I go in for my next round of chemo.” He laughed uncomfortably.
“Would you like something to drink?” He pulled out a chair for me. It was strange to see him sitting alone. Usually he was in the VIP area, generously footing the tab for his mooching buddies.
“I can’t, Vic. I got to get back to work. It is the end of the month and rent is due.” I put my finger up to silence the drunken stranger tapping on my shoulder demanding a dance.
“All my friends are gone. My money is gone, my health is gone and I have nothing. I just need a hug, and I don’t want to have to pay by the hour for it.”
His comment stung, it made me feel cheap. Cheap was a feeling that I had never quite gotten comfortable with; despite my years working as a dancer. I bit my tongue. Under any other circumstance, I would have given him more than my two cents. But one look at his shriveled body made my cold heart prick with an ounce of compassion.
“Come here.” I pull him into my arms and give him the warmest hug I could muster, forgetting the sharp words he had spoken just a second before.
I felt the room go silent for a moment. There was an invisible struggle within him to let me go and that clinging desperation hovered in the air, even after his grip loosened.
The busy crowd of customers would not let Victor forget that he was just another man with a need to fill, and no money left to actually do it. Life and the circumstances it brings is not always a pretty picture. Although I did not know Christ at this time in my life, I could not deny the power of simple compassion.
If I only I had known Christ, maybe that compassion could have been the gateway into leading Victor into the peace that only Christ can bring.
In Colossians 3:13 we are encouraged as believers to always go the extra mile for others. This world is filled with pain and darkness. Be a source of light and comfort and you will hold the power to heal the most important part of a human—their heart.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
With the busyness of life, it is easy to forget that there are people other than myself with serious needs.
Lord, fill my heart with the kind of compassion that is so deep that it can penetrate the hardest of hearts. Use that compassion for your glory. As the love of God flows through my body as a vessel of healing for others, let me never forget the source of all the goodness within me is not really me—it is the Christ within me.
In Jesus’ precious name, help me to forget my issues, problems and troubles today. As I give you these, give me the ability to reach out and help another hurting person. Show me who I need to touch today. Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Colossians 3:13
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan