My Bible class at Sojourn Academy. An eclectic group of missionary kids and Costa Ricans
The Lord defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigners residing among you, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. -Deut 10:18-19
I have lived in three different countries; my passport country, Jamaica, and now Costa Rica. I anticipate living in my fourth country by next fall. In every country, except for my birth country I have been the foreigner; a stranger living in a strange land.
In general, I have felt welcomed by my host country and for the most part, I have never felt threatened because I was a foreigner. For this I am grateful and very fortunate; not every missionary friend can say the same.
I know missionaries who live in countries where it is not safe to be a Christian nor a citizen of the US. I can only imagine how they feel when they pick up the local newspaper and read disparaging and inflammatory remarks about their country of citizenship or their beliefs. It must be a little unsettling. Although daunting, their experiences are nothing new.
I grew up on the northeast coast of the US, where foreigners were common and every family had a story of when they first came over. I remember my mom describing her grandparents’ excursion from Italy.
I imagine that there is a story of hope behind every name recorded at Ellis Island; and alas, tales of discrimination and inequity that accompany them as well. This is common to all foreigners.
When the economy takes a dive, when jobs are scarce, when crime is on the rise very often the first people to blame are the newcomers; the foreigners. It saddens me to think that my great grandmother may have born the brunt of this type of discrimination.
People leave their home country for a variety of reasons; the call of God, to give their children a better life, or improved job opportunities. Others are displaced because of war, persecution or other hardships. Whatever the reason, they find themselves foreigners headed to a strange land, wondering how they will be treated when they arrive.
So the question is, how will they be treated when they move into your town or into your neighborhood?
The Lord is crystal clear about how he feels concerning foreigners; he loves them and is generous with them and he expects his people to behave the same way toward them. Why? Because you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Indeed, in a very real sense we still are. Let’s not forget that we are all strangers on this earth longing for a better country (Heb 11: 13, 16).
The most basic human desire is to be accepted and loved. This is what I hope for as I anticipate moving to a different country. This is what God offers us through his Son, Jesus Christ. This is what he expects of us concerning the foreigners in our land.
Dios le bendiga.
