Monday, May 01, 2006

aliens

Hundreds of thousands of people marched today to support illegal immigrants in America. I'm not sure how I feel about amnesty for these "undocumented guest workers." After all, our country was built on the idea that all men are created equal and have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Irish, Germans, Japanese, Filipino, Spanish, Mexican, all mix together in a giant melting pot... or perhaps a tossed salad.

What's interesting to me is the idea of being an alien in a foreign place. It seems that some aliens these days are making themselves very much at home in a place that is not their home. And I'm not talking about Mexicans.

As a follower of Christ, I am to be an alien, a stranger in the world.

I know, in the physical sense, what it feels like to be a foreigner. It means not knowing how to flush the toilet, not knowing where to put my hands when I eat. It means being recognized as a stranger because of the shoes I wear or the color of my skin or the decibal level of my voice. It means standing too close to people when I talk... or too far away. It means not knowing how to do all the little things that come naturally to a native.

If I settle too deeply into life on terra firma, I start picking up the local customs. Too many home improvement shows and, "Oh, my God!' starts sounding like just a cry of surprise instead of a cry of worship to the king of my homeland. Too many trips to the local Wal-market "just to look around" and the bright baubles and trinkets look less like tourist attractions and more like necessities.

I don't want to go native here. My citizenship is in heaven and I don't want to lose anything that makes me a Heavenite. So, for me, no green cards, no border crossings, no protests. Just send me home.

1 comment:

Papa John said...

Hey, I'm headed there too, you know. I used to think you were catching up too slowly, but now I have to admit you may begetting too far ahead at times. It's like when you were wee tiny. We would carry you at first, and not go far up the trail. Then you toddled hither and yon, and we had to point out the right path. When you caught on you became determined to forge ahead and independently go it on your own, and we had to quicken our steps too. Then away you went, way down the trail and out of sight. We kept plodding along hoping our trails would cross somewhere closer to the higher ground, and we felt you were safe because you were hiking with folk like us. We really depended then on those calls throough the forest letting us know you were OK. And we were glad when you chose someone to be a travel buddy, 'cause we had met him back down the trail and kinda liked the fella. Once in a while we could catch a glimpse of you and a small crowd forming you, and we made efforts to join, but it has not been until recently, as you have slowed for your own family that we have been able to stay a little nearer. We have both gone through some challenging terrain, and the path at times has been through thorns and across rocky ground, but it has also touched along the borders of that country we are seeking to enter. I am so glad we are on nearly parallel tracks. Of course, you have had time to learn to pace yourself for your family's sake, but you are beginning to enjoy the journey, and you are calling out to friends and others to join the procession. Don't forget the older folk. We're still coming along steadily, I think. We are seeing that it's all right for others to rush ahead; we must keep to the middle of the way as we see it, being deliberate about chosing our steps from day to day. We have left a few campsites behind us too, and we are even now planning where we will stay next, but we need fewer supplies now, and can get by with a lighter load. I think our citizenship will not be in question and that we are named in the right book at the border. So, whoever gets there first should save a place for the other. We will be pitching a new tent, and we are loking forward to the grand campfire and program in the royal lodge. I hear the king is planning a banquet for all of us. I'm especially glad your family will be there too. Papa Daddy.