Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God. — Ephesians 2:19
There have been several times in my life that I found myself moving. When I was younger, my family moved several times. Many times, the move was a distance that it was nearly impossible for me to stay in touch with the people that I had met and friends that I had made.
I will never forget moving at around 6 years old and leaving the friends I had. I remember going to my new school and feeling so out of place. I remember going into the new church and being the new person there. Each time, I felt like a stranger among people who knew each other.
I have also been blessed to travel to several countries and have the feeling of being a foreigner. It was certainly interesting the looks that I received in China when we traveled to adopt our son. It was obvious that I was not from China and had no idea what I was doing there among their customs.
While we can all probably relate to some type of experience where we felt like a stranger or a foreigner, there is one bond that should transcend those feelings. That is the bond with those who also have faith in God. While we may not know them personally, we are all serving and following the same God.
It does not matter if that person is from the United States or South Africa, Europe or South America. If we all believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are all part of God’s family. So while we may feel like a stranger in some situations, have you ever stopped to think that you may genuinely be among family?
So many times though we may not treat others as part of our family. Perhaps we are not kind, do not greet them, or do not show them the love of Christ. Could you imagine walking in somewhere and seeing your family and they did not treat you as such?
We need to remember that our world is full of spiritual family members and that God wants us to invite everyone to accept Him and become part of the family. Even though we may not always agree or get along, everyone we meet could be a part of the family of God. Our job is to find out if they are and if not, invite them!