Rarely do I read a book start to finish in one day, but I did just that with Rifqa Bary's book called Hiding in the Light. What a testimony of God's grace.
From growing up in Sri Lanka in a very devout Muslim family, she's marked at an early age as God's own. An experience she writes about when she was playing at five years old has her feeling the Spirit's presence. She can sense Him. That must've been the beginning, because in a gradual way she becomes aware of Truth. He makes Himself known in such a sweet way.
Abuse both in a physical and emotional sense becomes the norm for her, and escalates when her family emigrates to the United States. Just prior to their move, she suffers blindness in her right eye from a playing accident with her brother. Oddly enough, rather than show compassion for her disability, her parents begin to treat her like a liability and not as someone to cherish. The men rule in the Muslim world she describes, both at home and in the mosque. Women are berated and worn down, but it's considered acceptable. This isn't to say all Muslim homes are like this, but this was Rifqa's experience. I won't speak for others.
Her story escalated when she had to flee her parents's house after it was discovered that she'd become a Christian. Her father actually threatened to kill her if she wouldn't abandon her Christian faith. What followed was a series of court cases, an extended stay in juvenile detention, and more. Really amazing.
Without going into too much detail, I'll just say that I was so inspired by her reaction in discovering what the Christian church is all about. We as Americans are exposed to evangelism all the time, and forget the wonder of our faith. Rifqa was hearing it all for the first time, and her innocent reaction to it was so refreshing. She gave me hope. And her belief was so strong, she was willing to sacrifice everything, even her life, if need be. How many of us who were born free in this country, and also believers would be so passionate?
(i received this book free to review from waterbrook/multnomah)
