FINDING FREEDOM THROUGH FORGIVENESS
Alborz’s* life was devastated when his 25-year-old brother was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Consumed with hate, Alborz spent years seeking revenge, but it was only through forgiving his brothers killers that he found true healing.
Alborz, from Afghanistan, shared his powerful testimony with SAT-7 PARS.
He explains: “When the Taliban found out my brother was a Christian they hung him upside down, broke his hands and fingers, and burned his face with cigarettes. They put that child of God through the most dreadful torment and killed him.”
Alborz was devastated and felt unable to forgive his brother’s killers. He found himself in a constant state of distress and anger, with a strong desire for revenge.
“Feelings of hate became my constant companion,” he admits. “The anguish and bitterness that filled my being took its toll and soon I found myself with no friends. Even at home I did not speak with kindness to those around me.”
A FATHER SPEAKS
“One day my father told me: ‘you must forgive those who killed my son.’”
Fathers in this part of the world are likely to encourage or even demand that a murdered child is avenged by his siblings, but Alborz’s father had been a believer in Jesus for more than thirty years.
Alborz was brought up in Iran where it was very difficult to find Bibles or Christian material. “I didn’t grow-up with the right Biblical teaching,” he explains. “It was only when we returned to Afghanistan that my brother, then 24, was able to find a Bible that we started to read. I considered myself a Christian, but my faith was weak.
“So, when my father told me that I must forgive my brother’s killers or it would destroy my life, I could not accept it.’”
THE WORDS OF JESUS
For three years Alborz struggled and had further conversations with his father. During this time he also read the New Testament, which deeply affected him.
“The words of Jesus about anger, revenge, and forgiveness had a huge impact on me,” he says. “Reading the sermon on the mount truly shook me. My tears flowed, my heart softened, and I finally forgave the Taliban. That moment the burden I had been carrying was lifted from me.
“For the last eight years I have been a genuine believer and I am now able to forgive. I have a great joy in my heart that God has placed there.
“My prayer is that the Lord will touch the hearts of Afghans. I also pray for the wonderful people of Iran and pray for those who are weak in their faith, as I once was, to be strengthened in their conviction.”
* Name changed for security purposes. Images are illustrative.