Leviticus 19:33-34 – When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God. (NIV)

I have dogs. My daughter has cats. We each have our own house, but we share the same property. My dogs have thus not grown up with her cats, and her cats have not grown up with my dogs. So, when the dogs go up to the big house with me from time to time, there is bound to be a little excitement.

The dogs know that the cats are in the house, as they have seen them through the windows. They are therefore immediately on high alert looking for them. The cats, being cats, have no intention of allowing these interlopers to be boss in their territory. In the end, a chase is the inevitable result. One of the dogs will begin to chase one or more of the cats, but then, the cats will often turn on the dogs and go after them. There is a lot of barking and hissing and even some snapping from a distance, because each creature is afraid of the other ones. They see each other as posing a threat to their existence as they know it, for they are different from one another, and they find this disconcerting.

I have learned from experience, however, that when cats and dogs spend enough time together, they not only get to know one another, but they also discover that they have nothing to fear, and they usually become great friends, even protectors of each other.

Similarly, when new people move into our neighbourhoods, towns, and nations, taking the time to get to know them is very important. God calls us to treat strangers well. We are not to seek to chase them away by means of our words or actions, but to love them as God loves.

We are to love them as ourselves. We are to welcome them and make them feel at home. Their culture, customs, and language, even their skin and looks, may vary greatly from our own. This may even be disconcerting at first, but we are all people created in the image of God. We are all people whom Christ loves and died for so that we could become one body of believers, reconciled to God, and living in peace one with another.

Whom might God be encouraging you to welcome into your life today?

Prayer: Father God, thank You that mankind, each and every one of us, has been created in Your image. Help us to love one another as You have loved us through Christ Jesus our Lord, that our world may live more and more at peace one with another as You desire us to be. In Christ's name, we ask. Amen.