Tienes Un Novio?

I didn't know that my question of "tienes un novio/ do you have a boyfriend?" would bring to light so much that was right under the surface. I'm the girl that will ask you just about anything until I get the red light from you. If you seem open, I do my best to gage how far you'll let me in. It's really because I care about people, and I want to know about your life. I want to tell people about the hope I have and that they too can have it.

Sometimes I don't realize how a simple question will actually be a gateway to deeper things, but this question was. While lowering her voice, she answered my question with a yes. After this I understood what direction we were going. I knew I didn't like the way he tugged on her hair or touched her right before Christmas. That was the last time we saw her before she left for a few months to go to her home country. I knew that the unrest in my spirit when he was around wasn't made up. Or the way in which she seemed nervous or uncomfortable around him wasn't just in my head.

She has come back to the bondage in which she left for only a few months. She's my age. Beautiful girl who desires good things out of life. But he's holding the keys. He pays for everything for her. Clothes. Car. Big apartment. Gives her work. As she explains who her boyfriend is, I try to not let my jaw drop. Not that I'm all that surprised. Brook and I suspected that this man, who is older than her father and her boss, was taking advantage of her. We just didn't know to what extent.

"Are you happy? Content?" I asked. She responded with an "Yes. I have everything I need." As if that fooled me into thinking that she really was happy. She stopped making eye contact with us and stared at herself in the mirror behind us, fixing her hair. Things very much looked together on the outside. She didn't know that I could see right to her heart. It wasn't so much that she was lying to us as she was trying to convince herself that she really was okay with this kind of life. She listed off those same things over and over again, as though she was convincing herself that it was a good justification for being with this man.

Brook and I both tried to share things with her. Explaining that no man can give her peace, true love, and joy. That these things only come from the Lord. She agreed, but I knew that her agreeing was just to appease us so we wouldn't pry anymore. At one point she even teared up but seemingly found a way to dismiss and hide her tears. What worried us even more was that when we shared some things about relationships with her, she asked if ex-boyfriends had hit us before. Red flag.

Needless to say, we are both concerned. We are both treading very carefully, because we don't want this man to know too much about us. But we do want to pour into our friend. We do want her to see a way out of this relationship that's she's been in for 3 years. She's looking for answers and the only one who can give them to her is Christ. Pray for this friend. Pray that she sees a way out of this relationship and isn't overly concerned with the materialistic side of things. Pray for wisdom for Brook and me. That we speak boldly in love to this girl who is in a situation I can't even imagine being in. This world is certainly in need of a Savior. Good thing he has come. Pray that the world hears and responds.

In Him,
Taryn