Blessed are the language learners, for theirs is the gift of idioms and verbs, of words and communication.
Blessed are the visa holders, for they shall never forget what it is to live as a guest in a country.
Blessed are the homesick, for they shall know and understand longing and displacement, the themes of our time.
Blessed are those who weep for injustice, for they shall be comforted by a God who cries out for justice to roll down like the waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Blessed are the culturally humble, for they shall see the world and faith through the eyes of curiosity and questions.
Blessed are the jetlagged, for they shall have time to drink tea and pray.
Blessed are the lonely, for they shall be connected to the pain of humanity and better understand the value of connection.
Blessed are those in transition, for they shall know more fully the joy and privilege of home.
Blessed are those who miss their fathers and mothers, their siblings and their friends, for they shall discover friends that become as close as sisters and brothers, and families that transcend blood and borders.
Blessed are the translators and the doctors, the businesspeople and the nurses, the developers and the diplomats, the farmers and the planters, the harvesters and the homemakers, the educators and the writers, the linguists and the administrators – for together they shall work to build God’s kingdom on earth.
Blessed are the visionaries and the dreamers, the builders and the plodders, the idealists and the realists, the wishful thinkers and the critical thinkers, the intelligent and the blessedly naive – for the Kingdom is made of such as these.
Blessed are you who know and love the God who invited you into his story; you who were created and formed, equipped and placed. May you know and love him a little more each day. May you delight in His story and rest in His love.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage…..they go from strength to strength until each appears before God in Zion.*
Psalm 84:5 & 7
