Pack up your troubles? (First featured in the EDP, Feb 2023)
As I write this I’m experiencing my fourth day of evacuation from home due to the unexploded World War Two bomb discovered in Great Yarmouth. Three days ago we had to scramble to pack some essentials when the police came to the door, and were compelled to rely on our (extremely generous and welcoming) friends for a roof over our heads for the night. We only had the things with us which we could quickly grab, and had to leave some very precious things behind, not least our animals who couldn’t be accommodated elsewhere. The decisions about where to go, when to go, what to take were really difficult. We don’t at the moment know when we can return.
It has made me reflect again on the situation for people around the world who have to leave their homes at the drop of a hat, some of whom end up ultimately in our country and county. Examples abound: the multitude displaced in Turkey as a result of the massive earthquakes recently; those fleeing from the violence in the Ukraine; the people running from starvation and human rights violations in Afghanistan. Often not just leaving animals and possessions but family and friends behind. Not just having to wait a matter of days to find out if they can return home but facing the prospect of not being able to return home for years, if ever. Adjusting not just to a different house, but to a whole new country and culture. The (hopefully) brief inconvenience of being away from my own home pales into complete insignificance when considered alongside this.
The Old Testament of the Bible tells us that the people of Israel knew the trauma of having to run away, as they escaped from slavery in Egypt and lived homeless for many years. Jesus also knew what it was like to have to leave everything and escape to safety: when he was a young child he and his family had to flee to Egypt to escape the persecution of King Herod who was trying to kill him. I believe God has a special concern for those who are displaced, and for that reason he calls on our protection and care for them in their vulnerability: “Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land. Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself.” Leviticus 19:33. This challenges us to commit to generosity of both attitude and action. I wonder how our hearts and hands could respond to it today.
