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A Stranger in a Foreign Land

by Jerry Ousley  
12/18/2015 / Christian Living


While growing up, I attended nine different schools. Sometimes it was caused by moving (which we did four times) other times it was because of a school closing or simply moving up in grades. I began my school career attending kindergarten in Kendallville, IN. In the middle of second grade we moved to Garrett, IN. There I finished grade school and moved to my third place of learning in Junior High. After completing the 7th grade it was time to move again, this time all the way down to the bottom of the state to a tiny little burg called Alert. Life wasn't easy there but the blow was somewhat softened because they had just consolidated schools in that county and everyone was new in a way. Right smack dab in the middle of the 8th grade we moved again, this time to another tiny town called Azalia. I finished 8th grade in a small school located there, but it was the last year for that school because the county was consolidating also. 9th grade found me in a brand new school in Columbus, IN. Leaving my freshman year I moved on to yet another school because I was now in High school, still in Columbus, IN. There was one final move farther south to Austin, IN right in the middle of my sophomore year; we stayed there. But during my senior year the town of Austin was building a new high school so one final move to the brand new school and finally I was finished.

I hope I didn't bore you with all of this but there is a reason for it. Because of all the moves I was considered the "new kid" except for the final two years at Austin. The "new kid" normally gets picked on a lot and because I was small-framed and a skinny kid with curly hair and glasses, I was also the "nerd" or "geek" or whatever they call them now-a-days. It made me insecure even though I did decently in school. Some of you know what I'm talking about because you went through it too. You always felt like a stranger.

There is a point to all of this. Ruth felt that way too, I'm sure. Mahon and his wife Naomi, along with their two sons, moved to the country of Moab due to a hard famine in Israel. They were there long enough to see their sons grow up and marry. We aren't told but I get the feeling that they liked it in Moab and decided to simply settle there. Everything went well for several years but as time passed Mahon and both of his sons died, leaving three widows behind. Naomi told her daughter-in-laws to stay in their native country of Moab but she was returning to her land Israel. One of her daughter-in-laws, Ruth, refused to stay but made the return trip with Naomi. Arriving home, the famine was over, but Naomi found herself in poverty. They had very little if even that.

Can we imagine how Ruth must have felt? Except for Naomi she was a complete stranger in a new country. She didn't know their customs. And who was this God she kept hearing about? On top of all of that they were poor.

Some can imagine this feeling because some have found themselves in this exact situation. We can also become this way spiritually. A new convert, one who has just received the Lord in salvation, finds himself in a strange country.

Others have come through extreme situations, perhaps they've been hooked on drugs, or alcohol and they just can't seem to shake that monkey off their backs. Some have come from broken homes, or they have been abused physically, sexually, or emotionally by their parents or guardians. Whatever the case, regardless the situation, you have found yourself a stranger in a new land. You feel alone, perhaps discarded, or maybe unwanted. You try not to show it on the outside but inside you are terrified and afraid.

Let me tell you that you are not alone. You don't have to be afraid or terrified of life, or meeting new people. Remember the God that Ruth didn't really understand? She found Him. And you can too. He is waiting to help you through your loneliness, your fears, and your regrets. He is there - right there, right now, just waiting for you to call out to Him. He will give you something no one else can; He will take away the pain that causes you to feel like a stranger in a foreign land.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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