8July2012 Healing of the nations

Rev. 22:2 "...in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

5July2012 Ex-Refugee

I have the honor of interacting with refugees on a daily basis.  They flee from countries we see on the news every day, places like Somalia, Cuba, Iran or Nepal, and they do it for the same reason millions before them have come, freedom.  Last week I was speaking to a friend from one of these places and I asked him if he would consider moving back to his birthplace in the future, after the conflict there subsided.  His emphatic, "No!" surprised me so I questioned him further.  "I am American now.  I am not a refugee anymore.  This is my home." was his response.  How can you argue with that?

This conversation brought to mind a question I've been contemplating the last couple days.  When does a refugee cease being a refugee?  Maybe the conclusion I've come to is simplistic but here's what I've come up with.  When a refugee gets home they're no longer a refugee.  I can't wait!