“In the hour of my anger, I forget about God,” Rahima confessed.

Rahima has been our neighbor for three years. Her name means grace in Arabic. With her tall and lean figure, kind eyes, and hands that are quick to help, Rahima truly embodies the meaning of her name.

Rahima, a devout Muslim, has welcomed us into her life without reservation. Whereas other local mothers have been cautious toward us, Rahima has let her children play with ours since day one.

When our new teammates, Jessica and Sarah, arrived, they wanted to jump right into local life. They talked about wanting to live in a shared compound with a local family. We immediately suggested Rahima and her husband, Naim.

Naim is often away from the village. He picks up work in large cities where the economies are stronger and where he can earn more cash. So, like many women in our neighborhood, Rahima is raising her children as a single mother.

Jessica and Sarah had been living in Rahima’s compound for two months when, one night, she began beating her young son. The blows she was inflicting on the boy were so hard that our teammates were worried Rahima would harm him.

They called me to come over and help intervene. I got Rahima to stop hitting her son, and eventually we sat down and talked about anger.

“God can give you peace and patience,” I said to Rahima. As we talked, she seemed repentant and remorseful.

But a few nights later, Jessica and Sarah called me again. This time, Rahima was beating her son so terribly that the neighbors were knocking on the door to try and intervene. The boy was left with scars, welts, and bruises on his face and body.

“Why are you beating him so badly?” I asked Rahima once I got her to sit down with me. This was not like her. Rahima, with her extraordinarily kind eyes—the very picture of grace—was not normally like this. What was causing her to unleash this pent-up anger so heavily on her very own son?

Sarah began to speak to Rahima.

“I think God has told me your heart is broken,” Sarah said. “You are beating your son because you are angry at his father for beating you. Is that right?”

The words fell upon the hardened shell surrounding Rahima’s heart, causing it to crumble. Tears streamed down her face as her body slumped.

“Everything you are saying is true,” Rahima responded. “God has revealed this to you.”

Carefully and gently, we uncovered the wounds Rahima had experienced. They weren’t just from her husband. They had also come from her mother. Confiding in us about her childhood abuse, Rahima told us that part of her heart had died inside. The scars left on her body matched the wounds in her soul.

“Jesus Christ knows the pain of your abuse and can heal your heart,” I said gently. “God Himself will help you.”

“But in the hour of my anger, I forget about God,” Rahima confessed. “What do I do?”

“You can’t be good on your own. You can’t be patient on your own,” we said to her. Rahima agreed.

“Each one of us needs God’s help,” I added. We explained that because of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, Rahima could have peace with God. And with God, there is hope for peace in her life and with others.

“When you belong to Jesus, He heals you and starts to grow goodness, peace, and patience inside you,” we said, describing to her the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

“Do you want this wonderful peace from Jesus?” I asked Rahima.

Rahima responded with a smile. “You’ve told me this before, and I do want this gift. I want a relationship with God.” Then she paused and said, “But I already have religion. You know that.”

We laughed together and I said, “No, this is not about religion. God wants you to have Jesus Christ, and He wants to heal your heart. It’s a free gift. Why don’t you take it?”

Rahima agreed that she would accept this gift. As we all prayed together, I asked if she would pray with me that Christ would reveal Himself to her more and more. To this she also agreed.

Join us in praying for Jesus to continue healing Rahima’s heart and filling her with His peace. Pray with us that she would encounter Jesus in remarkable ways. May she deeply know His love, forgiveness, and peace that her heart longs for.

Praise God that He changes hearts and heals homes. He turns wounded, angry women into peace-filled, joyous mothers.

This account comes from a long-term worker. Names have been changed for security.

Original article: https://www.frontiersusa.org/blog/article/finding-peace-through-grace/