Losing My Family, Gaining Christ

I sit at our kitchen table, scrolling through an old, weathered scrapbook of black and white photos, looking at faces I’ve never met. My mother points to a handsome man with jet black hair and a broad forehead, saying, “This is your grandfather.” Then, to another with a young girl sitting on a woman’s lap, both wearing beautiful saris of swirling colors, “this is me and my mom.” I look at this Indian man and woman, along with countless other aunties and uncles, cousins and more, and I see my own resemblance. We have the same nose, the same lips. I turn page after page, looking at my Indian heritage and my heart swells with pride for being an Indian girl.

But, at the same time, I’m still sad. Sometimes I look at the pictures in my mom’s scrapbook and fight back tears, knowing that I will never meet these people. In fact, this family of mine wants nothing to do with me, or my mom, all because she left the Hindu faith and converted to Christianity.

Persecuted For Christ

This is the sad reality for so many people around the world. If they gain Christ, they will lose their family. This truth, this reality in my own family of rejection, disownment and ostracizing, was my first experience with persecution. Though I did not directly experience it myself, my mom certainly had, and both my sister and I knew its consequences second hand.

There are all different kinds of persecution that Christians face around the world: scorn, insults, abuse, torture, imprisonment, even execution. It is a sad reality, but one that Christ himself foretold that we would experience because of our faith. In John 16:33, he tells his disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (ESV). My mom told me that converting to Christianity was not easy for her. She knew that she would lose her family. She knew that she would have to face her future alone, from life’s sorrows to its greatest joys. Things like getting married and having children were realities she had to experience without familial support, and that’s a lonely road to walk down.

The Power of Prayer

Despite the pain of persecution, there is still hope.

What my mom clung to in those early days of disownment, and what she taught us to cling to as well, is the hope of Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7 states, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Not only are we chosen by God, but our persecution is actually a gift because it offers us a chance to show others the surprising generosity and love of Jesus. Moreover, our greatest hope in the midst of persecution is the hope of Christ’s return and victory over evil. For those of us that suffer for Christ, we can take comfort that God will one day give us justice!

Though I could have not articulated this theology of persecution to you as a young girl, my mom modeled for me how to live that theology out, and I’m so grateful for her example.

I learned very quickly the power of prayer. I prayed for Christ to strengthen my faith, to use me to preach the gospel unashamedly and to not fear the persecution that may come from my boldness. Granted, in the U.S.A, persecution looks nothing like it does in the rest of the world. The worst thing that has ever happened to me was that someone called me “crazy.”

However, I didn’t just learn to pray for myself. I found that as my passion for Christ grew throughout my childhood, my desire for solidarity with Christians around the world increased as well. I prayed for Christ to strengthen other believers in their witness, to protect them from harm, and to give them the hope and perseverance they needed to endure persecution if it came. I grew to have deep affections for brothers and sisters around the world, who I had never met, and I still carry that affection now as an adult.

Open Doors USA

It’s not always easy, though, to know what is happening around the world with the persecuted church or even how specifically to pray for believers around the world. That’s why I’m so excited to be partnering now with Open Doors USA, a community of Christians who come together to support persecuted believers in more than 60 countries. OD USA offers a world watch list of the world’s most persecuted countries; they discreetly provides stories on their website of persecuted men and women, they train and empower believers on how to pray for the persecuted and more.

Each month, at The Art of Taleh, we will highlight a few Open Doors USA stories, talk about what the Bible has to say about persecution and spend time together praying for the persecuted church as well. We think that this is an important area in the life of every believer and one that we can all grow in together.

If you are feeling inspired to start praying right now, please read this story on their website about women missionaries who are being beaten in Burma. Please ask God to comfort the women and surround them with His love; pray for the security of the missionaries and that violence will not hinder them from serving the Lord both now and in the future; and pray that the villagers who persecuted them will come to know the one true God as the only one who is worthy of their praise and allegiance.

We are looking forward to journeying with you and learning more together about how we can love and care for the persecuted church around the world!