Reflecting the face of Jesus, was the title of the editor's letter on the Voice of Martyrs magazine I rec'd in the mail this week. It was the first time I've received the magazine, and by reading through the article I came to understand that in the January issue of the magazine, they have featured the scarred face of a Christian woman named Yubelina from Indonesia.
It was during a Muslim attack on her village, Yubelina burned in a fire and her disfigured to an extent no one would want have a second look. Strangely, there were some readers, who were offended by the disfigured face on the cover of the magazine, that they requested their names to be taken off from the mailing list of Voice of Martyrs. Some even went to the extent of saying,it gave them-' nightmarish, ghoulish vision."
Yes, those who didn't have the eyes to see the faith of Yubelina, and the cause for her deformation saw only the distorted figure on the cover. But there were others, including children who saw the same photo on the cover wanted to pray for her and even went to the extent to keep Yubelina's picture with her distorted face on top of their computer or in the family room so that they could pray for her and for the persecuted church on a daily basis.
Same picture; two different responses. Why so? What makes the difference? No doubt, both group must have been Christians. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been on the mailing list of Voice of Martyrs. Both must have been concerned about what's happening to Christians around the globe, especially in countries which are hostile to Christians. And even supported financially for the translation and distribution of the Bible and for the expansion of the Gospel. However, one group didn't want to go any farther than their comfort level. They couldn't bear to see the disfigured face of Yubelina on the cover. Instead of seeing her beautiful heart that was set ablaze for Christ, they saw just the face of Yubelina which was scorched by fire.
In a culture, where physical beauty is upheld and worshipped like an idol, it's natural to avoid looking at disfigured people or their pictures. Maybe I would have done the same too. It's more comfortable to keep a distance from a person or a situation that brings either fear or disgust to us. We don't mind praying for them from a distance or pocket out a little sum of money to those, who help them. Going the extra mile to touch and care for them as our own seems to be a big stretch to us.
In the Lord's eyes, how beautiful the scorched face of Yubelina with a blinded eye must have looked, for it is for Him, the woman had braved enough to display her faith and lost her beauty. By losing her outer beauty, she had gained the everlasting beauty that God admires. I pray that you and I too will have the eyes to see as God sees, and be brave enough to carry the scar of our faith to reflect our love for Christ and His love for us, if and when our faith is put to a test as it did for Yubelina.
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