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One little girl's decision to forgive ISIS continues to be a lesson for us all
This little girl named Myriam said she forgave the members of ISIS who attacked her home. (Image source: SAT-7 screengrab)

One little girl's decision to forgive ISIS continues to be a lesson for us all

Incredible stories of forgiveness hold the intrinsic power to inspire and encourage. One such story about a little girl named Myriam and her willingness to forgive ISIS militants who had deeply affected her life proves just how much of an impact simple acts of forgiveness can have on the masses.

(Read also: Learn to forgive yourself and others with these 3 movies)

SAT-7, a Christian ministry that provides faith-based satellite programming throughout the Middle East and North Africa, captured Myriam’s incredible story on the SAT-7 KIDS show “Why Is That?” back in 2014. The aftereffects of that interview were monumental.

The little girl, who was forced to flee her home in Qaraqosh, Iraq, alongside her family, stunned millions of people around the world when she offered forgiveness to the ISIS militants who had permanently disrupted her life. Then, she sang a hymn about Jesus that further captured hearts.

As Myriam sat in a refugee camp, a SAT-7 TV host asked her about her feelings on ISIS. She responded, “I wouldn’t do anything to them, I only ask God to forgive them.” Then, when asked if she had truly forgiven the militants who caused her family to flee, the little girl affirmed: “Yes.”

The clip immediately went viral, spreading across the globe and showing the true power of forgiveness. And that’s just one of the many stories that SAT-7 staff have seen touch lives as they work to bring the gospel into much needed areas in the Middle East and North Africa.

“It was amazing … [Myriam] sang at the end of it,” Dr. Rex M. Rogers, president of SAT-7 North America, recently told PureFlix.com’s “Pure Talk.” “It’s a tear-moving, tear-producing kind of flick.”

Watch Rodgers discuss the incredibly touching video below:

The outlet’s Myriam clip inspired millions around the world, but it also shed light on the network’s goal to bring the life-transforming gospel into difficult areas where people don’t generally get to hear it. This happens via original programs translated into Arabic, Farsi and Turkish.

Dennis Wines, vice-president for ministry partnerships at SAT-7, went on to explain that the organization’s mission is to “encourage, empower and strengthen the church across the Middle East.”

The use of satellite technology helps SAT-7 navigate the complexities of spreading faith in difficult social and political terrain.

“It’s broadcast 24/7 over satellite … satellite technology is virtually uncensorable,” Rodgers said. “You can’t really stop it like you can the Internet … so we can reach people in their homes and their apartments … or their palaces, and we can get the people that you and I couldn’t otherwise get to.”

It should be noted, though, that SAT-7 goes out of its way to be non-political and not take positions on partisan or political issues — something that makes it a bit easier to operate within the confines of some of these countries.

(Read also: 5 inspirational stories of forgiveness you won't forget)

Watch Myriam’s incredible story:

“We’re simply there to share Christ and Christianity in the most positive way that we can,” Rodgers said.

Wines added that he believes that the gospel is incredibly attractive in the Middle East, as SAT-7 focuses exclusively on a message of “God’s unconditional love.”

“We want the church in the Middle East to make their claim to biblical Christianity … we’re non-confrontational, we don’t do on-air comparisons,” he said. “We’re simply giving a platform for Christians to live their faith on-screen in dramas, talk shows, very creative television across all the channels.”

Find out more about SAT-7 here.

This article was originally published on Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free, one-month trial here.

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Billy Hallowell

Billy Hallowell

Billy Hallowell is the director of communications and content for PureFlix.com, whose mission is to create God-honoring entertainment that strengthens the faith and values of individuals and families. He's a former senior editor at Faithwire.com and the former faith and culture editor at TheBlaze. He has contributed to FoxNews.com, The Washington Post, Human Events, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, and The Huffington Post, among other outlets. Visit his website (billyhallowell.com) for more of his work.