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There’s No Place Like Home

If you’ve ever returned after being away on a long trip, you probably think, There’s no place like home. Home is where you can relax, recover, find peace and comfort. Home is where you can eat your favorite foods, sleep in your own bed, and simply be yourself. Home is where most of us come to gather ourselves before going back out into the world.

But a shocking 110 million people globally are displaced from their homes because of war, persecution, natural disasters, or violence. Those who leave their country for another land are called refugees. Those who flee within their own country are called internally displaced persons. Whatever they are called, most live in a state of constant change, knowing that they will likely never return to that place they once called home.

The Israelites themselves were displaced to Egypt and held captive in Babylon. Perhaps this is one of the reasons the Bible so often encourages kindness to strangers and sojourners.

More than half of the displaced people in the world are women and girls. This happens especially in times of war when men stay to fight and send their wives and children off to safer places. Sadly, women and girls on their own often have a difficult time supporting and defending themselves. They are particularly vulnerable to predators and dependent on the kindness of strangers.

When the war broke out in Syria, refugees flowed over the border into Jordan, overwhelming the infrastructure of the small country. While Christians are a minority in Jordan, they prayed that God would show them how to demonstrate their faith to the mostly Muslim refugees. They decided to offer their churches as refugee relief centers and places where those on the run could register with the UN. Soon refugees flowing into the country learned to search for places with a cross as a place where they could find comfort. One Pastor stated, “The Lord brought the mission field to us. We are here to love those in need.”

One Muslim woman said through a translator, “I never knew any Christians before, but now I know that they are kind and caring. I want to know more about them because they cared about me and my family.”

Caring for people who are displaced is just one way to show the love of God in a hurting world. Consider supporting a refugee resettlement group or sponsoring a refugee family being resettled in your area.