Thursday 07 January 2021
- Bible Book:
- Ruth
'Where you go I will go; where you lodge, I shall lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.' (v. 16)
Background
Over the years I have met many people, including a number of refugees from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Kurdistan who entered my life because they attended the church where I was working at the time. I would frequently get called to their hearings when it was decided whether they could stay in this country as refugees. I always stated, truthfully, in the hearings that I had no idea why or how they had come to the UK and was only interested in their spiritual well-being. I did not ask why they had become refugees before the hearings so that I could not be seen as biased. It was a different matter after they had been granted permission to reside and I heard some real horror stories about what had happened to them en route to the UK and why they had fled here.
The recurring theme was not one of wanting benefits or to take advantage of our systems of support, but rather their genuine desire to find a place of safety and peace, to be able to find work and to pay back the country that had offered them sanctuary and a living.
In our Bible passage today Ruth says "Your people will be my people, your God will be my God" and this resonates so strongly with me as I remember the people I have met and who shared their stories with me.
To Ponder:
- What are the defining characteristics of your life that make you the person you are?
- What are the things you desire most in life for yourself and for your family?