Her name was Zeyiba, and the moment she sat down in front of me at the eyeglass clinic, I loved her. There was something about this 20something-year-old Muslim woman that both pained and captured my heart. I complimented her beautiful headscarf, not naïve to the fact that it was a symbol of her Islam religion.
I knew that Jesus wanted me to give this woman more than eyeglasses.
I asked her to share her beliefs with me, and she explained that she believed in Allah. When I asked her if anyone had ever told her about Jesus, she explained that she had just watched the Jesus Film in the waiting area before coming in for her eye exam.
“Can I tell you more?” I asked.
She nodded yes, so I began telling her the Gospel in my own words.
As I finished, I told her that following Jesus is a big decision- the biggest decision she would ever make- and that it would change her life forever. And I told her that Jesus was pursuing her and that when she was ready to turn to him, He would welcome her with arms wide open.
“Does this decision mean I have to change religions?” she asked.
“Jesus is bigger than religion,” I explained. “Religion can’t make you right with God. Only Jesus can do that.”
“But my whole family is Muslim,” she said.
So I told her my story….
“When I decided to follow Jesus, I knew that it meant losing some relationships. There were plenty of people in my life who were not following Jesus, but what I knew in my heart mattered more to me than what my friends or family thought of me. When I did make that decision, God provided me with a community of believers to encourage me in my faith. He didn’t let me do it alone. I trust that He will do the same for you,” I told her.
At this point, both of us were tearing up.
Then I heard The Lord say to me, “She’s not yours to harvest…”
So I hugged her tight and reminded her that Jesus was pursuing her just like he pursued me, and I said goodbye.
The next woman to sit down at my table was a beautiful 40something-year-old woman named Murida with the love of Christ shining through her eyes.
“You’re a Christian, aren’t you?” I asked her.
“Yes. I was a Muslim, but four months ago I began following Jesus and He has changed my life,” she said.
Those 5 words from God were now perfectly clear.
My heart started pounding. I asked my interpreter to run and find Zeyiba, the woman who had just left. She was able to find her in the crowd and bring her back. I told Murida about the conversation we had with Zeyiba and asked if she would share her own story with her.
Murida was able to relate to Zeyiba in a way that I couldn’t. The two of them talked, smiled, and cried for about 10 minutes before exchanging telephone numbers and hugging goodbye. God brought someone into her life to support her and disciple her just as I trusted.
God allowed me to feel a tiny fraction of what He feels for His lost children. If my heart pained so much for this woman I barely knew, I can only imagine how much His heart longs for her.
