This is our home and its “mission statement”!
Last week our hearts were stirred by the image of Aylan washed up on the shore. A little boy whose daddy put him, his brother, and his mother on a boat to deliver them to a new home. They just wanted to go home. To safety. To security. HOME.
We would have to live under a rock to not know the global refugee situation – tv, radio, social media are all covering the plight and peril of thousands of people being displaced and relocated. We are aware of the countries willing to receive them and the ones unwilling. We’ve seen the photo images of regular folks standing in front of their homes bearing signs, “Refugees welcome here.”
There are numerous initiatives being setup to finance the relocation and settling of families. Ann Voskamp has a listing of them here. Glenn Beck has a program here. Samaritan’s Purse here.
Today, I am thinking a lot about home.
I do not take our blessings lightly or for granted – EVER. I want to be generous and willing to make a sacrifice to help others. To give something up in order to help – and with all humility realize one day this could be me.
The Word of God is clear regarding the treatment of displaced people…
In Isaiah 16, the Edomites entreat Judah’s help in accepting her refugees. Judah is sympathetic and receives the refugees and although God judged Moab, His mercy saved a remnant of Moabites. Listen to their pleading…
Take counsel, execute judgment; make your shadow like the night in the middle of the day; hide the outcasts (refugees), do not betray him who escapes. Let My outcasts (refugees) dwell with you, O Moab; be a shelter to them from the face of the spoiler (devastator)…Isaiah 16.3-4 (NKJV)
How can I be a shelter? Do I open our home? Do I give? What can I do?
These are questions we all should ask ourselves. YET, there is one thing we can all do, isn’t there?
We can P R A Y.
We would be amiss if we did not.
One last word on this situation. Wikipedia defines refugee as: A refugee is a person who is outside their home country…
When I read that, I immediately instant messaged my co-worker and said, “As a Christ-follower, I am a refugee. I am outside my Home Country.” He wrote right back and said, “Glory!”
I want to leave you with Paul’s words from the New Testament:
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5.1-10
How will you shelter?
xo
Linking up with:
- Three Word Wednesday
- Women with Intention Wednesday
- Purposeful Faith
- Holley Gerth
- Tell His Story
- Holly Barrett’s Testimony Tuesday
- Me Coffee and Jesus
- Dance With Jesus
Such a beautiful reminder that we are indeed refugees. Also a needed point that when we don’t know what to do, how to respond, how we can help – we can PRAY. God is faithful and will direct us. He will let each of us know how we can help those displaced. Thank you for this post!
Kristine, I loved researching the word refugee and realizing that we, the body of Christ, are just waiting to go “home” – we are refugees constrained by the love of Christ.
Wonderful, valuable writing, as always, Susan!!!!!
Made me think of the old Petra song………….”We are not of this world”……I think I’ll look it up on youtube and listen to it.
PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY………………..and also do the other things needed to “be” a shelter. Thank you!
Kathy
Working on that, Kath’…fervently!
Home…it should be our shelter, our refuge, our safe place where we can let our hair down, laugh, cry, pray.
I work with the homeless and yet even they have a tent that is their home. Women and children who are abused don’t have a safe place to go to. Women who have been displaced by divorce or told to get out of their home run in circles trying to find that place.
And then our Abba calls out and says “I am your safe place, I am your refuge, trust in Me.”
In one form or other, sister, we are all refugees. Thank You Abba for being our safest place.
This has been so heavy on my heart this week too. I love all that Ann Voskamp is doing and felt like the resources she provided were super helpful and practical. Thanks for pointing more people to this issue and reminding us of all that we share with refugees. So, so good.
Lauren, thank YOU for your encouragement. I struggled writing this. But when I trust Holy Spirit to control these fingers on this keyboard, it usually turns out the way HE wants it!
Not only do you have a beautiful home, but you have a beautiful heart! Your post is so good. Thanks for sharing with us and helping us to remember how to open up our homes, hearts and lives to give to others in need.
Judy thank you! We can all do “something”!
A wonderful post which gives us all much to think about. Grateful to have stopped here this morning!
Glad you did too, Joanne.
I’ve met so many people that have a house, yet do not have a home. The need for inclusion, acceptance, forgiveness and authentic community is SO great. I’ve felt called to creating these communities – these safe places. I do this through coaching right now, but hoping to one day adventure onto the larger scale. We will see what God does!
You have a willing heart, Bethany, that’s what Father is in search of! Thanks for coming by!
One of the BEST you have written. Often as I spend time with the LORD I’ll write the word “Home” in the margin of my book. HOME is huge. That’s even a poor description of it but it’s the best I have. None of us own the earth. We don’t own our countries, our neighborhoods, our streets. The deeds to our homes may have our name typed in but it is GOD Who owns it all. If we open our hearts & homes, wallets, whatever to the refuge is God BIG enough to provide for them and me? For them and my family? I’ve wanted to “do” something – just didn’t know what. So, I followed the link to Sam’s Purse and gave them a donation. It may have been a small amount but it comes from a heart that has been given a safe haven: Jesus Christ. Thank you Sus. I love this one.
I love action…thank you Kathryn. xo
Love these words… may they light a fire in our world. Thanks again Susan!!
Hey! good to see you over here! Been loving those wedding pics all summer!
Oh friend – yes! I am praying as well and listening closely to what or how to move beyond that. Praying the church rises up and makes way and remembers that Jesus was a refugee Himself and He knows what it is to be displaced, unwanted, and without a home… and whatever we do to the ‘least of these’ we do unto Him! Great post!
K…absolutely. The night after I wrote my post the Lord showed me what to do. YES, LORD.
It really is sad to read the stories of these refugees. But you are right we are refugees too. All we need and want is our homes. Indeed I can and will pray!
WE MUST PRAY, sis!
Wow, you are on fire Susan! What a profound post. Seriously. I have been saddened by the pictures of the refugees and spurred to do SOMETHING, but what really blows me away is that God has been telling me all week that this is not my home! And bam, you wrote this for me lol.
Bam…just like Holy Spirit. I love you Melissa and special hugs for you and Jade this week. (((xoxo)))
Shelter is one of my favorite words – it’s carries such protection and community with it. Thanks for linking up at #ThreeWordWednesday. xoxo
In the Shelter of His Rock – that’s where we are!
Thank you!