I receive a monthly newsletter from The Voice of the Martyrs [….] This month, the cover is a picture of a woman, Yubelina, from Indonesia. She was burned in an attack by Muslims on her Christian village.
Her skin is splotchy & ranges in color from light brown to red to white. Much of it is leathery. Her nose is disfigured. She has a purplish-colored patch of skin in between her bottom lip & the bottom of her chin. Her upper lip is peeling. Her left eye is white & red; her pupil is clearly no longer able to see.
But she is smiling. A huge smile. Joy radiates from her. Why?? She must receive stares. Children are probably afraid of her. The world would call her damaged. Ugly.
Yubelina has figured out where her identity lies. She is a treasured child of the King. She has traded “a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning” (Isa. 61:3). Her smile reveals Jesus.
Yubelina is beautiful. I guarantee she has a joy, a contentment, that no name-brand, trendy clothing; no perfect haircut & makeup; no flawless skin or toned body can bring.
I want to be beautiful like that.
Source: Beauty
Here’s the photo and the magazine in question:
Yubelina of Indonesia
Christian Persecution Blog
Frankly, I don’t know if I’m very gung-ho about using Third World images like this. Or any such image, for that matter.
Is it sensationalism? Is it…ah…now I can’t remember the word I thought of a bit ago. Oh, yeah…is it some form of exploitation?
I hope not.
To be sure, it puts a face to persecution.
And it reminds us of how people treat each other.
And of how Christians should pray for each other.
And of how Christian joy surpasses circumstances.
And of how we should be thankful for freedom of religion.
Of what else does it remind you?
iam always praying for you Yubelina