Despised and rejected:
how Saieda found healing

Supplied by Nashat Megalaa, Communications Director,
Bible Society of Egypt

Saieda comes from a poor rural family. She is one of eight children, of whom three were born blind. Saieda, although not born blind, had always had trouble with her eyes. Because they were poor, Saieda’s parents never sought medical help for their childen.

After the death of Saieda’s father, the family’s plight worsened. Even though she could barely see, Saieda would go into the village every day to seek domestic work, such as baking bread, in order to earn a little money.

One day as Saieda was walking home from the village, she had an accident. She bled heavily for several days. Finally she was taken to a doctor, who found that she had damaged her womb so badly that it would have to be removed.

Situation got worse

After this, her situation got even worse. Tradition dictated that she no longer be considered a woman of honour. She was bullied and her mother beat her daily. She bore the brunt of her family’s anger.

By this time, she had become completely blind and her life was miserable. She avoided contact with anyone, knowing that she would be treated cruelly and made to feel ashamed.

One day, though, she was invited to a special gathering of blind people, a time of worship and sharing. She was afraid to go, fearing that she would not be accepted even there. However, she did finally go, and the decision proved to be her first step on the road towards healing. She began to open up to others, telling them how she had felt forsaken by God since the death of her father. She expressed her feelings of worthlessness and rejection.

That very day, Saieda discovered that she was not alone after all. She learned that Jesus, too, had been rejected by his own people and had felt misunderstood and lonely. He had experienced much of what she was going through and he had willingly chosen to undergo it because of his love for her.

Saieda went on to attend a week-long course in reading Braille. Coming from a background where it is often considered a waste of time for girls to learn to read and write, she did not do particularly well. However, the course proved a wonderful opportunity for her to understand more about what God had done for her.