Where do we belong?

KIM SHIPPEY, SENIOR WRITER

Immigration has always been a topic of importance and concern to people and governments everywhere. It has provoked fierce political debate and led to bloodshed and war. It has also kept people out of harm's way and saved lives.

Many of us have either lived out a migration story or can trace our roots back to ancestors who have traveled from one land to another. My grandparents on both sides were immigrants. And I have lived and worked in three countries and held citizenship in them all. I've felt completely at home in each of them, thanks in part to the insights provided by my study of Christian Science, which has taught me that I can never leave "the garden of the Lord" where "joy and gladness" are found, "thanksgiving, and the voice of melody" (Isa. 51:3).

Sometimes it's helpful to consider your own personal migration and candidly ask yourself: Am I living in the place where I was born? If I've moved, why? How many times have I moved? And, Where was God in all this?

Our contributors to this issue provide helpful international and spiritual perspectives on immigration. Elise Moore, writing from Nashville, Tennessee, says, "Whether God impels us to leave our home, or encourages us to stay, the journey is really a mental one, an awakening to a clearer understanding of God." Eberhard Lasch, speaking from Mexico City in a spirituality.com online chat, says the real solution lies in finding home within ourselves. There is richness in every country, within all cultures. And writing from Málaga, José Rodríguez Peláez emphasizes that Spain is one of the European countries that has absorbed the greatest migratory influx. But God governs, he says, and "His infinite blessings are for all of us—whether we live in our native countries and are here to stay, or have newly arrived and still need to find our bearings."

This week you might enjoy asking yourself where you truly belong—and sharing your spiritual insights with others.

The Christian Science Sentinel was founded in 1898 by Mary Baker Eddy, and its mission remains the same: "to hold guard over Truth, Life, and Love." The Sentinel continues to report on the unlimited ways that the healing power and presence of the Christ activates, uplifts, and transforms the lives of everyday people around the world.

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