Her life wasn’t supposed to look like this. She wasn’t supposed to be a widow at 25 years old. She certainly wasn’t supposed to be a single mom this early in life.
Ning was already fighting an uphill battle. She was born and reared in a Muslim family but became a Christian as a young adult. She and her husband were learning to handle the stress of being the only Christians in their families at the same time as becoming first-time parents. Then Ning’s husband got very sick, very quickly. Even though he fought the battle as hard as he could, he died way too young, leaving behind his wife and baby boy.
Now Ning had a choice to make. However, in this rural Muslim culture, the choice wasn’t really hers to make. Her family made the choice for her—she had to remarry to the man of their choosing. This man wasn’t a Christian—he was a proper Muslim and, having never been married before, was considered a fresh start for her. And with most fresh starts, old baggage isn’t welcome, so Ning was forced to leave her baby boy behind as well.
Pray
- Pray for young widows like Ning, some who may be professing Christians forced into unequally yoked marriages and some who may just be young Muslim women struggling to find hope in a sad situation.
- Ask that the Father would provide comfort to aching hearts, hope to those searching, and reassurance of His goodness and grace to those seeking to follow Him.
**All names have been changed and the picture is not of the storyteller in order to protect the identities of those who have shared their stories and lives with us over the years.