I met Shirin shortly after she arrived from her Islamic country. She was
fully clothed in a long cloak and tight head covering. As I helped her with English, I grew to
love this beautiful upper class woman.
We walked through so much as she suffered with domestic abuse. It was a sad day when she gave me some of her
possessions to guard while she went into a women’s shelter. I was hopeful this
would be the beginning of a new start. However, she could not handle her fear of
living alone and went back to her husband. A divorce is often considered by the Muslim
community to be the woman’s fault and the thought of that shame overwhelmed
her. I watched her suffer more as the
years went by.
Shirin loved to hear about Jesus and I prayed for her often. Before she moved to another city I gave her a
china cup as a parting gift. She
reminded me of a beautiful delicate china cup that had been chipped and
cracked; still as beautiful as ever, but now very fragile and sitting on a
shelf only for display in a china cabinet.
A couple of years after she moved I called her and she poured out her
story once again. The domestic violence continued while her parents across the
ocean, in typical Islamic fashion, kept urging her to forgive her husband.
Shirin continued to accept her prevalent cultural mindset that Allah rewards those
who suffer, so she suffered on. She
disclosed that every night before she goes to bed, she drinks tea from that
china cup I gave her. I was surprised
and touched. I explained the story of the
cross once again and she moved closer to Christ. How I longed for her to understand that
Jesus, our Treasure, was broken on her behalf and loves her and wants to heal
her. He knows how to heal the brokenhearted and abused. If only Shirin would fully understand that
she needs to drink from another Cup, even more valuable than the cup I gave
her. When she drinks from the cup I gave
her she remembers me and the love I feel towards her. If she could only understand that the Cup we
drink from speaks of an even greater love for her. I hope the china cup I gave
her will always prompt that truth to come to her memory.
Next time you drink from the Cup in church, remember Jesus’ great love
for us on the cross and pray for Muslim women, like Shirin, to come to treasure
that Cup above all cups. There are Muslim women who resemble perfect china cups
but there are also many who have been broken. Both need the Lord.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for the Cup which reminds us of Your
broken body on our behalf. We are grateful that You can make us whole and new if we let You! In Jesus’ name, Amen. 
