True assimilation

Many of us are familiar with these two moving immigrant stories: A teenager named Joseph is forced to leave his parents and family when his older brothers, in a fit of jealousy, sell him into slavery in another country. After a series of trials that test his character, Joseph is introduced to Pharaoh, who makes him the second most powerful man in Egypt. As a result of Joseph’s inspired leadership, the Egyptians, as well as his own family, are spared great suffering during a prolonged period of famine in the region (see Genesis, chapters 37–45).

A young widow named Ruth, expressing loyalty toward her mother-in-law, Naomi, decides she will return with her to Israel, the country of her mother-in-law’s birth, after their husbands have passed on. Over her mother-in-law’s protestations that Ruth remain with “her people,” Ruth insists, “Wherever you go, I will go; ... Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:15, 16, New King James Version). In Israel, Ruth begins a new life and gains a new sense of purpose, and she finds a husband, Boaz, by all accounts a good and loving man.

The immigrant experiences of both Joseph and Ruth, recorded in the Bible, offer a kind of blueprint for success for anyone who finds him- or herself living in a new or unfamiliar environment. They illustrate that assimilating the universal qualities we associate with goodness, or God, such as loyalty, compassion, honesty, integrity, flexibility, and courage, enables us to not only survive, but to thrive in our surroundings, and moreover, enrich and bless the countries or places we call “home.”

Assimilating the universal qualities we associate with goodness, or God, enable us to not only survive, but to thrive in our surroundings.

Today, countries that absorb large numbers of immigrants are understandably concerned about how easily and quickly modern-day Ruths and Josephs adapt to their culture and customs for the sake of national unity and economic stability.

Yet, as each of us strives to assimilate the infinite qualities of God by claiming them as our own and living them day by day—the unselfishness shown by both Ruth and Naomi, who put each other’s happiness first as they decided their next steps in life; the compassion demonstrated by Boaz, who recognized Ruth’s virtues and allowed her to glean in his fields; the moral courage expressed by Joseph in overcoming great adversity, and the charity and forgiveness he later offered the very brothers who betrayed him when they came seeking food; and, finally, the wisdom shown by Pharaoh in promoting Joseph to a position of leadership—we are assimilating our true, spiritual identity, and thus are at home wherever we are and have the opportunity to employ our God-given talents.

Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, summarizes it this way: “… the longing to be better and holier, expressed in daily watchfulness and in striving to assimilate more of the divine character, will mould and fashion us anew, until we awake in His likeness” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 4 ).