If you were asked, when you hear the word refugee, what’s the first thing that you think about, what would your response be? I asked this question to my Facebook friends and received many responses.
ESCAPE. RUN AWAY. CLARKSTON, GA. SAFETY. SEEKING A FRESH START. LOST YET FOUND. DISPLACED. TRYING TO ESCAPE. HOMELESS. ESCAPING A HORRIFIC SITUATION TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. SYRIA. LOOKING FOR SAFETY. ON THE RUN FOR SAFETY. RUNNING. SOMEONE SEEKING A PLACE OF REFUGE, SAFETY, GRACE, & MERCY. HOPELESS, SCARED, VULNERABLE, OVERWHELMED, TRAUMATIZED, SURVIVOR. SOMEONE RUNNING FROM HIS OR HER HOMELAND IN FEAR.
But the single word from a refugee friend I met in Malaysia – HELPLESS.
For months, I have wanted to write this blog. Every time I have sat in front of a computer screen, my mind has drawn a blank. What is the end result I am hoping for out of this blog? What story do I want to tell? How can I ensure that TRUTH from scripture is the lasting impression, not my own personal thoughts or opinions? When is the right time to post something that could be controversial and create a bigger issue than intended? All of these are questions and thoughts that ultimately almost stopped me from writing this blog. However, after spending time in scripture, reading a John Piper book, and listening to a David Platt sermon, the time is now. If not now, then when?
In John Piper’s book, Don’t Waste Your Life, he says, “If we walk away from risk to keep ourselves safe and solvent, we waste our lives.”
I DON’T WANT TO WASTE MY LIFE. I want to be obedient to what the Lord is telling me to speak and do, regardless of what may come my way. It is my prayer that this blog is a blog that gives truths from Scripture alone, that my words do not define or dictate the purpose. Over the last year, I have continually prayed, “Lord break my heart for what breaks yours,” and this is a subject that has continually been on the forefront of my mind.
When reading Piper’s book, the following paragraph screamed REFUGEES to me. Reading this inspired me to press on with what the Lord has laid on my heart to share with you.
“If we are exiles and refugees on Earth (1 Peter 2:11), and if our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20), and if nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35), and if His steadfast love is better than life (Psalm 63:3), and if all hardship is working for us an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:7), then we will give to the winds our fears and ‘seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33). We will count everything as rubbish in comparison with Christ (Philippians 3:7-8) We will ‘joyfully accept the plundering of our property’ for the sake of unpopular acts of mercy (Hebrews 10:34). We will choose ‘rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin,’ and we will count ‘the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt (Hebrews 11:25-26).
My heart aches at the comments and post I have read throughout recent events concerning the refugee crisis. One thing I have learned is that we as not only Americans, but also as the church, are responding to the crisis out of FEAR. There are so many verses in scripture that say, “do not fear,” “do not be afraid,” or “do not worry.” If we listen to what scripture tells us and do not fear, be afraid, or worry, then we will walk through this crisis in FAITH. We will show the love of Christ. We will take advantage of this opportunity to love people like Christ does. We can share the Gospel, not through our words, but instead through our actions. We will allow these refugees a place of refuge.
David Platt shares in his sermon titled, A Biblical View of the Refugee Crisis – Acts 17.
The five truths he talks about in his sermon are that:
1. God reigns sovereign over ALL things.
2. God over sees the movement of all peoples.
3. God establishes government for the protection of all people.
4. God specifically commands His church to provide for His people.
5. God seeks, shelters, serves, and showers the refugee with His grace.
While spending the month of November in Malaysia, I had the opportunity to meet an incredible woman of God named Shakeela. How? Only by the grace of God. Shakeela and her family are refugees from Pakistan. They fled their country seeking safety because of persecution. If Malaysia’s borders were closed to refugees, I never would have had the opportunity to meet this woman. She has impacted my life in such an incredible way. That is why it is so important to remove all labels that the world places on people, to love them the way Jesus does, and to allow them to tell their story. I would love to tell her story, but I could never do her story justice. So instead of me attempting to tell her story, hear it for yourself!
Busting at the Seams | Shakeela’s Story
How should we as Christians be responding to the refugee crisis? By having faith that the same God that died on the cross for you and me, is longing to see these people turn to Him. God has given us a great opportunity to love over 4.3 million refugees (from Syria alone). He is giving us the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel, pray earnestly for these people daily, act justly, love sacrificially, and hope confidently for them. We can choose to be active by raising awareness and praying for the millions of people who are displaced. We have the opportunity to be a generation that loves people regardless of the labels that the world places on them. Be the Change, Be the Generation.
The dangerous boat ride to Greece through the eyes of a Syrian refugee girl
