Strangers – in Hebrews 11

"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth." – Hebrews 11:13

I’ve always been drawn to this image of “foreigners and strangers” or “aliens and strangers” as I’ve heard it put. It was an especially appealing thought to me as a teenager. I felt like an alien and a stranger. I felt like I was on the outside looking in. I just didn’t fit. In this verse I found permission not to fit. In fact, I wasn’t supposed to fit.

As an adult, I find that I try too hard to fit. It’s nice to be reminded that I don’t need to try so hard. In fact, Jesus didn’t fit. He was comfortable with that. In some ways he relished that. If our goal is to be Christ-like a little more “foreigner and stranger” would be a good thing, yes?

On Only Visiting This Planet, Larry Norman said, “This world is not my home. I’m just passing through.” That’s the way foreigners and strangers talk!

 

~Godspeed