The story that began 30 years ago in the global phenomenon Not Without My Daughter (1991 MGM Home Entertainment, starring Sally Field), continues in the international bestseller by Mahtob Mahmoody, My Name Is Mahtob. As I spoke with Mahtob on January 29, the 30 year anniversary of her ‘freedom day’ from Iran, words from Genesis 50:20 (NIV) kept echoing in my mind. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Much like the famous Joseph of the Bible, Mahtob Mahmoody’s testimony is one of victory in the face of great trial; despite evil intentions in the hearts of others. Where man can’t see a way, God’s vision is not limited. “There is a limit to the power of the human will. There is no limit; however, to the power of God’s grace,” says Mahtob.
As a young child she was born and lived in the US with her Iranian-born father and American mother. At the age of five, her father took them to Iran under the pretense of ‘meeting his family.’ Upon arrival, it was clear they would not be returning. For the next year and a half they were held hostage under her father’s tyrannical surveillance. My Name Is Mahtob, tells the story of Mahtob and her mother’s harrowing escape out of Iran, the impact felt for many years once back in the US [as they lived in fear of being found by her father], and the freedom she found in forgiveness.
When asked what comforted her during these tumultuous years, Mahtob, now 36 years old, replies, “Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.’ Because it is definitely by God’s grace that I am saved—from my father, from life in a war zone, from the hate that I harbored after our escape, and even more importantly, from sin and the power of the devil.”
Her positive attitude and deep, pure faith in our God are inescapable as you journey through My Name Is Mahtob. Of particular interest is the theme of resiliency that threads beautifully throughout Mahtob’s poignant memoire. Like a golden strand on a black backdrop, Mahtob responds to the hardship in her life and returns beautifully from a place of intense darkness most of us have never known.
“I saw so many people who experienced challenging situations and crumbled, and so I asked myself ‘how do I make sure this doesn’t destroy me?’ I think there are several things key to resiliency,” she says. “One is social supports; God puts the right people in our lives at just the right time to help us. Over and over, God was putting these people in my life. Also, feeling like there is a purpose, a greater meaning to this. There have been horrible situations in my life, but there is a reason, God is going to use it somehow. Romans 8:28 (NIV) says: ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’ My perspective is a Christian perspective that God is in control and can work all things for my good.”
One man in Mahtob’s autobiography, who God most certainly placed in her life at just the perfect time, was an Iranian shopkeeper; who, for no other motive than compassion, literally risked his life to arrange a ride to freedom for Mahtob and her mother. He is among several heroes that rise to the top in My Name Is Mahtob. Thankfully heroes are a part of all of our lives, but sometimes the beasts make them necessary.
For more of Her Name Is Mahtob, order your copy of the Spring 2016 issue here.
*Interview courtesy of Wisconsin Christian News
Chris McMahan
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