Tearfund Lent Devotional Day 14

Breaking down barriers

‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ (Galatians 3:28, NIV)

We might think that a refugee’s troubles end when they return home. But that’s rarely the case. Often, families can come back to pick up the pieces of their lives only to find that there aren’t many pieces left.

Aside from having to deal with the trauma of their experience, refugees – especially those from areas of extreme poverty – have to reckon with communities who may have moved on. Refugees can be away for many years, during which time their homes may have been reoccupied and their jobs taken.

A crucial part of Tearfund’s work is coming alongside communities to help them to welcome and reintegrate refugees. This is often done through local churches, who spread the message that there is no ‘us and them’ when it comes to returning refugees – there is only ‘all of us’.

We can, and must, apply this to our lives. To think in terms of ‘us and them’ is to violate God’s intentions. We are all made in God’s image. We are all part of this one world. We are one body, and we should treat each other as such.

Lord, thank you that we are one in Christ Jesus. Help us to live out this reality in our lives. We pledge to see all people as you see them – worthy, beloved, made in your image. Amen.

Gideon Heugh

Gideon writes for Tearfund and is a poet and environmentalist