Ex-pat as a People Group

You don’t hear the term “ex-pat” around the USA.  It is a very common term here.  An Ex-pat is a person from a foreign country.  In my two weeks, so far I have met folks from:

Nigeria

Canada

Germany

Austria

Sweden

Namibia

South Africa

Zimbabwe

Swaziland

Lesotho

India

Japan

Ireland

Italy

Bulgaria

Washington State, MI, MN, TN, MO, FL, IL

There is even a section in the classified ads for “Ex-pat leaving”.  The belief is that Ex-pats have “better stuff” than local folks do.

Most of us Christians forget that we are “strangers in a strange land”, no matter where we may reside.  We make ourselves “at home” in the foreign land that is this world.  We forget that our citizenship is in heaven.  We are the original, and the most extreme, ex-pats.

Of course, my goal in Botswana is to “fit-in”, to speak, act and look like a local.  Whereas there is NO chance of that, I need to distinguish between fitting in the world and fitting in Botswana.  Heaven is our really home if we believe G^d’s Word on the matter.

Irony alert:  I want to fit in here, even though I will not succeed.  I don’t want to fit in the world, even though I succeed far too well.

Holy Spirit, change me, transform me.