He is not a wealthy celebrity giving cars to single moms in need. He is not a celebrated athlete visiting sick kids and signing autographs in hospitals. He's not even a political activist speaking out for the rights of the unborn.
But to me, he is a hero. An inspiration. A true example of what it means to be a follower of Christ. And I believe his story should be told.
My husband and I first heard his story about a year ago, when our church's teaching team was doing a message series about how Christians could share Christ with people of other faiths. When they reached the topic of Islam, our lead pastor began to tell us about his newfound friend, a former general in Saddam Hussein's army.
He was quick to point out that not all Muslims believe in the radical views of Jihad. As any patriot would do, this man served his country to the best of his ability. However, when Hussein sent his army into Kuwait, he refused to kill innocent women and children. As a result, he was thrown in prison and tortured. When God orchestrated his release, he realized his only option was to leave his family behind and seek refuge in America.
It was here that our pastor had an opportunity to talk to him about his beliefs and convictions, and to share with him the truth that Jesus had died for him. With the help of an Iraqi believer and translator, our pastor led this man to accept Christ as his Savior.
In May of 2011, we watched as this former general in Saddam Hussein's army was baptized at our church. What an incredible thing to witness!
This past weekend, almost a year later, we had the privilege of speaking to him personally. We were preparing for our worship team rehearsal before the Saturday evening service. He was serving behind the scenes, smiling and humming as he pushed a vacuum around.
"Are you working here now?" Lars asked.
"I work for free," he said, grinning. His English is still broken, but we were able to carry on a conversation with him. "I help this house, and God, and Jesus. I don't care about money."
We learned that he has not seen his daughter, who is still in Iraq, in fifteen years, and it breaks his heart. Congressman Mike Rogers is working with him to earn his United States citizenship so he can visit his daughter without fear of being detained in Iraq.
For now, he is grateful for the honor of serving his Savior. Not on stage or on the platform, but happily vacuuming carpets, cleaning windows, or whatever else needs to be done to tend to the house of God. Not for accolades or even monetary compensation, but for the sheer joy of serving the One who saved him.
If each one of us would look inside our hearts and see the darkness from which He has saved us, maybe we would serve with that kind of conviction as well.
