Stranger No MoreSample

My life has changed so much and not just on the outside. As far as my journey has taken me—so very far from my home and my old life in Iran—it is nothing compared to the transformation that God has gently nurtured within me. With his help, I have left behind the feelings that once threatened to suffocate me.

 

For so many years, the only thing that kept me alive was the instinct to fight for my children. Anger burned within me, an instinct to protect them from all harm. God has even transformed that in wonderful ways. He has helped me to forgive, and he has also birthed within me a desire to fight for the people I meet who are desperate just like I was. And so I fight for something more than just my own survival or the survival of my children. I fight for those who need God. Even though I know that I am powerless, that God alone can rescue.  I play whatever part God has for me to play. I have learned to live without fear. After I became a Christian I wanted to keep life quiet and safe, to avoid any danger. So I tried to hide the truth about what Asghar had done to me. I was afraid that people would judge me, afraid that I would be a disappointment to them if I spoke of all the mess that my past contained. With God’s help, I have let go of that. I am not afraid anymore. God is the one who keeps me safe. And he’s the one who tells me: your story saves others. Tell it. Shout it from the rooftops. You have nothing to be ashamed of.