When

we first moved overseas, everything was different for us—language,

food, roads, social rules. It was humbling to need help from others

to do something as simple as paying for public parking. I won’t

forget the kind woman who helped us and kept smiling and talking in

Italian—though we couldn’t understand a word. Her smile and

dedication to help were a great gift.

Though

our situation is much different from that of Israel in Egypt, I know

the feeling of being a foreigner in need of help. God reminded Israel

to remember their history of being vulnerable so that they could

understand how strangers might feel in their midst.

Consider

how refugees driven from their homeland or immigrants who have left

their home might feel in a strange place.

God

commanded his people not to oppress a foreigner or visitor or

stranger for the simple reason that oppression hurts deeply. God’s

people were to have empathy for others who came from a foreign land

and needed help and hospitality, not opposition or oppression.

People

who do not have the power of wealth and social status are to be

protected by the law and supported by those who are in positions of

power and influence. Tempting as it may be to follow the crowd, our

identity as God’s people demands that grace be our guide.