A GREAT REALIZATION IN MECCA

“As of the age of 21, I was very much interested in getting married and having a family. I was always dreaming of having six kids. And this journey of finding the right person was not easy. It had lots of ups and downs, hopes and frustrations. And it was not easy—especially in our culture, where there is a lot of pressure to marry at an early age, like between 20 and 22. If you’re already 25, you’re labeled as a spinster; there is something wrong with you. So you can imagine the pressures I’ve been through from family, friends, and so on. But I did not want to give up. I had a lot of opportunities. I did not want to get married just for the sake of getting married…getting the social acceptance from the society. So I was looking for someone very special.

But then a very strong thing happened to me, I remember it was the second week of December in 2001. I was in the Holy Land in Saudi Arabia.

And I was inside the Great Mosque in Mecca. I was praying to God to help me find the right person. But then at a certain moment I felt that I surrendered my personal will to God’s will. And at this exact moment it was different. Because before that I was praying and asking God to help me find the right person. But at this point in time, I felt that I had no power. No matter what I want to do in terms of planning, thinking, and trying to make things happen, if I didn’t give my will to God’s will, it would not happen. And this thing gave me a lot of strength and it moved me spiritually very much.

Two weeks later, I met the man who would be my husband and one year later we got married. But I still remember this moment in Mecca. I was on the second floor of the Great Mosque looking at the Kaabah. And I was praying and I got this very strong feeling of ‘it’s all God’s will.’”

Daniel’s Reflection

Ghada Ezzeldin is a very special soul who just happened to work at the same multi-national company I worked at for many years. And I was very blessed that on my trip to Cairo for Portraits in Faith, I was able to interview several colleagues, including Ghada. Her journey to be in a relationship and to be married was similar to so many journeys I have been privileged to hear. That is the journey of “planning, thinking, and trying to make things happen” of which Ghada speaks.

I remember feeling this great sense of unity with Ghada as she spoke of having to completely let go of any control and accept whatever outcome God had in store for her. And it was not until that moment of surrender that Ghada had in Mecca overlooking the Kaabah that she was able to fully receive what God and the universe truly had in store for her. I have seen this play out in my life many times, especially in relationships.

Thank you, Ghada, for giving me a glimpse of my own journey and how each of us need to relinquish control to be fully blessed.