Narda Reid
- Dec 2, 2023
- 8 min read

The "Ugliness" of Sin

Updated: Dec 9, 2023

Thanksgiving Encounters: Holding on to God's Hands during drugs and prostitution

"Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way." Psalms 119:104 KJV

Who can forget "Chucky"! This was

one of the most demonic, possessed, soulless creations that Hollywood ever created. This doll was everything but beautiful and carried out vicious and immoral acts that still make many

cringe in fear.

Worldwide cultures disagree on elements that qualify a person as beautiful. Some say "Beauty is skin deep"; " Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder"; " Beauty is a vice-free personality." Others say " Beauty is kindness". Though perspectives vary regarding what makes a beautiful person, when it comes to "ugliness", the global culture is more united in its answers.

Some of the world's most voted ugliest people are Donatella Versace, Godfrey Baguma, Jocelyn Wildenstein, Joshua Glen Box, and Maison Sore. While voted the ugliest, some are super famous, successful, and wealthy because of their ugliness. As I looked at some of the pictures I shrank back in horror and dismay.

Science has shown that people are more likely to gravitate towards you if you are beautiful. You are offered more perks, opportunities, and privileges the more attractive you are. People have more patience with you, they are kinder towards you and are more willing to marry you even if before they were not so inclined. And yet some of the world's "ugliest" people have managed what countless others long for... wealth, marriage, and even love. They broke the beauty mold in every way, but..."

Beauty may be in the eyes of the beholder and may very well be skin deep, but I couldn't see myself married to any of these people whether I was male, and definitely not as female! No... not even for a million dollars would I be able to do it. What in the world happened to God's beautiful human specimen?

Adam and Eve were created in perfect symmetry and astonishing beauty. When Adam first saw Eve, I imagined he whistled loudly and said to himself, "Wow"-man! He couldn't take his eyes off of her. I am sure that Eve's heart melted with joy and warmth as she looked at her companion. They were both pleased with each other and automatically wanted to give each other the best of themselves and the best of what the world had to offer. It is just the natural trend of the "beauty" syndrome.

"God is a lover of the beautiful" and has made people and things in the world to reflect this love. But the ugliness of sin has hoodwinked people into believing that what is insidious and vile, is beautiful and acceptable. Satan fools them into believing that their disobedience is a work of art. Some have chosen by default, while others... intentionally, to disfigure the image of God in themselves by their disobedience to his revealed will. They are not content with being ugly by themselves but would like to contaminate everyone else too. Satan attacks and rapes their minds, and by their continued submission to his mind control, they begin to believe that wrong is right, and right is wrong.

Let me introduce you to Niesha...

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," Luke 4:18 KJV

Niesha was a popular young woman in the dance hall atmosphere. She was attractive, and well-dressed for the part but not necessarily a show-stopper. She was very charismatic, and smart. She knew how to harness the limelight. This kind of lifestyle came with drugs and sometimes multiple sleep partners. Yet she somehow ended up in a monogamous relationship and had two sons with her then "man". After some time, she ended up having a young girl with another man. Yet she endeavored to keep it all together, but could not. She ended up losing them at different times to foster environments. Yet somehow she would get it together, and they would be united.

One day Niesha got tired of the party life, and gave her life to the Lord, and the church family helped her with rent, job, food, etc. But she was still in love with her old life, and from time to time she would venture out like Dinah to hang out with the world. The world would seduce her for a while, compliment her, and then strip her of all she had. She would return to the church and be very "holier than thou". You would have never known she had ever backslidden. She would get another "spiritual fix" but would go out again. She wasn't holding down a job and she was about to be evicted from her apartment. The sons' father was now in a position to take his sons and did just that to keep them out of the system. but where was Niesha and the little girl going the go?

This was when I got to know her. I was new to the area and had begun attending her church. The church was tired of enabling her lifestyle and encouraged her to work. I didn't want to see her homeless with a young 4-6-year-old girl. I knew how difficult life as a single parent could be and offered her a respite in my home until she could get back on her feet.

She had a well-furnished room, she had access to my entire home, and we enrolled her daughter in a nearby school so that she would not fall behind. Things went well until she began her disappearing acts and lackadaisical behavior. She still was not looking for work, and instead of picking up her daughter from school, she began to shirk those responsibilities. The last straw was when the school called me at work and said that the young girl still had not been picked up and it wasn't going on two hours late. I gave her some ultimatums. She stayed a little longer but then she left.

A friend of mine, Marlene, and I always tried to make sure she was fine

and tried to check up on her behind the scenes. If I couldn't help her, she would. Yet after a time she too lost contact. One day I got a call saying that they spotted her and she was living in an abandoned project. They said the little girl was with her and that they believed that she was also on drugs and selling drugs. I was so appalled. She had been staying with a friend but must have worn out her welcome with her irresponsible behavior.

I called Melissa and we both decided to drive around looking for her. We didn't even realize the dangers that we were in. We finally found the area that looked more like what was told us.

Melissa and I stuck out like soar thumbs. We just didn't look like we belonged there at all. But our love for Niesha and concern for her little girl made our fears dissuade. When we entered, the place was run down and truly abandoned.

Garbage was littered all around. We know that if she was still there, someone would know her because her personality was so big. God so had it that someone said they saw her and pointed us in the direction where she was staying. The door was locked and we peered through the windows and my heart sank. The place was filled with trash and papers and I felt this overwhelming sadness. Where was she? No one was answering the door.

Sin is ugly. It should be killed daily.

John Piper

I walked towards the back of the building while Marl and the kids sat in the car. I was just in time to see someone running to hide and recognized that it was Niesha. I called out her name loudly and she turned around. She came sheepishly towards me. I was shocked at her appearance but didn't make it visible. She was scantily dressed and looked emaciated. I wondered where her daughter was. She finally admitted that her daughter was in the apartment. The little girl was so happy to see us. She later confessed that her mom had told her to hide when she saw us looking for her. I was mad but more horrified that the ugliness of sin could make someone choose this way of living. We told her we weren't going anywhere without her so she better get in the vehicle. How could anyone stay in such a situation, let alone with their little girl? I spoke to her strongly to get some sense into her head, and we left.

"Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise

rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him." Leviticus 19:17 KJV

When I got home, we made sure they were clean and fed. My daughter played with her little girl, while I tried to make sense of what I had seen. I had lived a very sheltered life. This was a shock to my system. The faces of the world's ugliest people didn't make me shrink in horror more than what she revealed. She had got caught up with the wrong crowd. She began to use drugs and was being pimped. She had prostituted herself to feed her habit and take care of her little one. She also broke down crying saying that she began to gravitate towards this lifestyle when she began to deal with her past. Her Uncle had raped her and done so repeatedly when she was younger. She was now in her thirties. I was a little younger than her at the time. My heart melted and we talked heart-to-heart. We talked about rebuilding her life and prayed.

I would like to say that things ended happily ever after right then and there. However, after more promiscuity with married and unmarried men, and other mindless acts, Niesha seems to have settled down. She is still in the church, working on her relationship with God.

I saw her this year and we hugged with joy because I had not seen her for a while as I was out of the country as a missionary teacher. She was not on drugs, she was looking healthy, and was still holding on to Jesus, despite all she had gone through.

Are you a Niesha? Have you or are you holding on to a sinful life despite how it disfigures your mind, heart, body, and character? Are you on drugs, sexually promiscuous, or just living a godless disobedient life? Are you straddling the fence? Have you been hurt by someone you loved and the pain still lingers and you want to "fix" it with alcohol or a life of social nonchalance? Have you made a mess

of your life because you were seduced into believing everything would be alright? Perhaps you have suicidal ideations? When God allows the ugliness of sin... going against God's love and will for your life... to be revealed, don't run...Surrender to God. He will fix everything if you will let him. God loves the beautiful, but He is more the lover of a beautiful character that only He alone can create.

"If you are fighting

sin, you are alive. Take

heart. But if sin holds

sway unopposed, you

are dead no matter how

lively this sin makes

you feel. Take heart.

embattled saint!"

John Owen

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for second chances. Please forgive us for holding onto the ugliness of sin, when all you want is to give us beauty in character that will lead us away from vice... that which scars our souls and makes us commit spiritual suicide- permanent separation from you. Continue to be with all the Nieshas in this world. Help us to never be weary of well-doing even when sometimes it is tough. Beat back the hands of the enemy from our lives and free all those who are still captivated by sin, Satan, and self-delusion. Re-create us, and make us beautiful as only obedience to your word can accomplish. Help us to always see Christ and be like Christ in these hard times. In Jesus name, Amen.