“If you want my advice, we need to find people who won’t break so easily,” my Muslim Rohingya friend and colleague shared with me. We recently discovered that another Rohingya colleague had betrayed one of our coworkers. Would he betray others?
Criminal groups are active in the area, and it is easy to have someone killed. People live in fear that their enemies will make a well-placed bribe and see them kidnapped or killed. And yet, amid this bleak context, there exists a small group of Rohingya from diverse backgrounds working together to promote hope among their own people. The work they do is sensitive, and trust is important.
With the betrayal, trust was broken, and consequently, a malicious group in the area has a new target.
And yet, my friend’s patient, compassionate response humbled me. “He is a person who scares easily. He was under a lot of pressure. He was weak and couldn’t handle it. What happened has happened, we need to learn and be more careful next time.”
In these circumstances, when many Rohingya are acting out of fear in ways that lead to more hurt and mistrust, it takes true courage to show compassion.
My heart hurts for this group of friends as they deal with this betrayal. Yet my heart is also warmed to see their transforming minds and hearts, choosing compassion and understanding over bitterness and fear.
Join us in prayer:
- Pray for peace and security for the Rohingya.
- Pray that God would provide every Rohingya with a friend or family member they can trust without fear.
- Pray that more and more Rohingya would choose compassion and forgiveness over bitterness and jealousy.
- Pray that the Rohingya would find security in the faithful love of God expressed to them through Jesus.