This is Yubelina. A woman from Indonesia who was burned in an attack by Muslims on her Christian village. This is the cover of the January 2011 newsletter from Voice of Martyrs/ International Christian Concern (VOM/ICC: www.persecution.org), an organization promoting awareness and assisting persecuted Christians across the world.  You can see the obvious wounds of her face—splotchy burns, peeled lips, damaged eye. You can imagine the stares she would receive everyday, the thoughts that would come up when walking by her, and the pity people would feel. Yet, you can also see the crinkle of her nose, the sparkle in her eye, and the wide smile of this beautiful woman and sister in Christ. People have sent letters to VOM asking to unsubscribe them from the monthly newsletters due to the “nightmarish and goulish visions” they’ve been getting. However, others have sent in letters and written blogs about the true beauty of Yubelina.  I personally first encountered her story a couple months ago, sparking a flame within me for persecuted Christians. Every week, God opens my eyes to new countries—Palestine, Nigeria, Israel, Indonesia, China, Pakistan, Iraq—with governments either taking part or covering up the persecution of Christians.  Although it’s been a couple months since I heard Yubelina’s story and seen her photo numerous amounts of times, it wasn’t until today, to be honest, that I was able to see her. While of course I saw her huge smile, I never noticed her crinkled nose and sparkling eyes. What a beautiful beautiful woman who displays the true joy she has in her Father.  It also wasn’t until today that I looked upon her face and realized how foolish I am. How foolish I was to have spent the entire past week in self-absorbed thoughts and feelings. How foolish I was to be hardened and in rebellion toward God, even after these articles and stories I have been reading about people willing to literally die for their faith and love for Christ.  Seriously, how wicked and selfish I really am.  But how beautiful Christ really is. Despite the torn up skin drenched with His blood, sweat, and tears, I cannot look upon the Cross and fail to see the beauty of the ultimate portrayal of love, humility, and obedience.  Watching The Chronicles of Narnia for probably the third time today, with actual knowledge and understanding of the Word this time, God was really opening my eyes to see the true beauty of sacrificial love. And just how unworthy I was of it.  I am just like Edmund, selfish and absorbed with the indulgences of the world, yet Jesus died for me—someone who He didn’t even personally know.  Yet, He continuously reminds me that that is the point. He calls me His daughter, despite my unworthiness and insignificance. Like one blogger wrote about Yubelina, “I want to be beautiful like that. I want my face to shine like Moses, because I have been in the presence of God. I want my treasure to lie in heaven and not in the tangible, the material. I want to be joyful and content and full of peace”.  May our sole sustenance be in the Father who sent His Son for the message of reconciliation. May we flee and fight against the sin that our flesh longs to gravitate toward, always giving credit and glory to the Father who strengthens us with the armor of God.  May we always look heaven-ward, willing to lay every single moment of our lives down for the sake of Christ. No matter the beatings, torture, persecution and death we will face, let us truly stand firm in front of the Cross, proclaiming “Hallelujah! Our God reigns.”

This is Yubelina. 
A woman from Indonesia who was burned in an attack by Muslims on her Christian village.

This is the cover of the January 2011 newsletter from Voice of Martyrs/ International Christian Concern (VOM/ICC: www.persecution.org), an organization promoting awareness and assisting persecuted Christians across the world. 

You can see the obvious wounds of her face—splotchy burns, peeled lips, damaged eye. You can imagine the stares she would receive everyday, the thoughts that would come up when walking by her, and the pity people would feel.

Yet, you can also see the crinkle of her nose, the sparkle in her eye, and the wide smile of this beautiful woman and sister in Christ.

People have sent letters to VOM asking to unsubscribe them from the monthly newsletters due to the “nightmarish and goulish visions” they’ve been getting. However, others have sent in letters and written blogs about the true beauty of Yubelina. 

I personally first encountered her story a couple months ago, sparking a flame within me for persecuted Christians. Every week, God opens my eyes to new countries—Palestine, Nigeria, Israel, Indonesia, China, Pakistan, Iraq—with governments either taking part or covering up the persecution of Christians. 

Although it’s been a couple months since I heard Yubelina’s story and seen her photo numerous amounts of times, it wasn’t until today, to be honest, that I was able to see her. While of course I saw her huge smile, I never noticed her crinkled nose and sparkling eyes. What a beautiful beautiful woman who displays the true joy she has in her Father. 

It also wasn’t until today that I looked upon her face and realized how foolish I am. How foolish I was to have spent the entire past week in self-absorbed thoughts and feelings. How foolish I was to be hardened and in rebellion toward God, even after these articles and stories I have been reading about people willing to literally die for their faith and love for Christ. 

Seriously, how wicked and selfish I really am. 

But how beautiful Christ really is. Despite the torn up skin drenched with His blood, sweat, and tears, I cannot look upon the Cross and fail to see the beauty of the ultimate portrayal of love, humility, and obedience. 

Watching The Chronicles of Narnia for probably the third time today, with actual knowledge and understanding of the Word this time, God was really opening my eyes to see the true beauty of sacrificial love. And just how unworthy I was of it. 

I am just like Edmund, selfish and absorbed with the indulgences of the world, yet Jesus died for me—someone who He didn’t even personally know. 

Yet, He continuously reminds me that that is the point. He calls me His daughter, despite my unworthiness and insignificance.

Like one blogger wrote about Yubelina, “I want to be beautiful like that. I want my face to shine like Moses, because I have been in the presence of God. I want my treasure to lie in heaven and not in the tangible, the material. I want to be joyful and content and full of peace”. 

May our sole sustenance be in the Father who sent His Son for the message of reconciliation. May we flee and fight against the sin that our flesh longs to gravitate toward, always giving credit and glory to the Father who strengthens us with the armor of God. 

May we always look heaven-ward, willing to lay every single moment of our lives down for the sake of Christ. No matter the beatings, torture, persecution and death we will face, let us truly stand firm in front of the Cross, proclaiming “Hallelujah! Our God reigns.”

Notes

  1. settapart reblogged this from brianecclpark and added:
    Dang. Glory hallelujah.
  2. brianecclpark reblogged this from lisaharim
  3. lisaharim posted this