41. Michelle Qureshi: Incredible hope amidst suffering

OCF Crosspoint Podcast

My guest today is Michelle Qureshi. Michelle is a graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy, and she served 9 years in the military, leaving the Coast Guard as a Lieutenant. If that last name sounds familiar, then it’s probably because you’re familiar with speaker and author Nabeel Qureshi. He’s Michelle’s late husband who wrote two NY Times bestsellers, “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus” and “No God But One,” and who died in 2017 after being diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer in 2016.

Michelle’s story of military life at the intersection of faith, family, and profession is one that deals with such topics as stress, hardship, and discouragement, but more importantly, it’s a story of how she has experienced what she calls “incredible hope amidst suffering.”

What we talked about

Where does your story begin? Why she joined the Coast Guard, how she met Nabeel.

"Trials have a way of giving you opportunities to grow."

Regarding that first assignment aboard the law enforcement cutter in 2008. What was that assignment like?

What was life like aboard the cutter?

You mentioned during a conversation offline that expressing emotions, or showing need, and even demonstrating morality were considered signs of weakness and ignorance. Talk more about that.

"There was a twisted delight in seeing innocence corrupted."

How did you see those around you coping with the stressful environment? What about you?

"God, I will serve you anywhere—anywhere but here."

The difficult assignment that we’re talking about happened during the first 2 years of your marriage. What sort of support or advice were you getting from home, or was this even a topic you discussed with Nabeel?

Shifting the focus now to the challenges you faced at home—and of course I’m mostly talking about Nabeel’s cancer diagnosis—talk more about that time in your life.

"We were just a rag-tag group of people that loved God."

What did dealing with stress look like in the situation with Nabeel? Michelle shares her three P's.

"God is present. God gives us power. And there is purpose in the trials and suffering."

Michelle offers some books and resources—including a potential book that she might be writing soon.

• Elisabeth Elliott author page on Amazon
• Joni Eareckson Tada author page on Amazon
• Lysa TerKeurst author page on Amazon
• Levi Lusko: Through The Eyes of a Lion

About Michelle

• Follow Michelle: NQMinistries
• Support: Patreon
• Books: Nabeel’s books