Immigrants Are Made in the Image of God Too
Immigration is not a new concept. Since the beginning of time, people have migrated (moved within the same region or country) or immigrated (moved to a new country). However, since 2016, it seems like immigration has become a controversial hot topic. Although it is political or has become political in the last few decades because of policies, I believe we should view immigration with a Biblical lens and view immigrants as image bearers, too, because they are made in the image of God too.
I believe this because the Bible mentions the vulnerable all throughout. It talks about how we should treat them, and God has a soft spot for them. And who are the vulnerable, you may ask? They are the widows, orphans, foreigners (immigrants), and the poor.
In the very beginning, the Bible starts by telling us that God made humans in His image.
Genesis 1:27 (NIV) So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
This includes all of our brothers and sisters who have immigrated to the United States and the future immigrants to come. We need to keep this verse at the forefront of our minds when we are talking about immigrants.
What Else Does The Bible Say About Immigrants?
There are many verses that talk about the vulnerable, but I’ll only name a few.
Deuteronomy 10:19 (NIV) And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.
Deuteronomy 27:19 (NIV) Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
Leviticus 19:34 (NIV) The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
Psalms 146:9 (NIV) The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
Zechariah 7:8-10 (NIV) And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
Matthew 25:40 (NIV) “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
The last verse is a reminder that how we treat others is how we treat Jesus himself.
Why It is Important to Hear Immigrant Stories
The podcast The American Dream In The Eyes of Immigrants, shares stories about immigrants who moved to the United States. Immigrants talk about their journey coming to the United States, the cultural shocks they experienced, and how they adapted to living here.
Some stories are good, and some stories are traumatic because everyone has a different reason for coming, but all have the same intention: to better their lives and the lives of their families. And it’s important to hear these stories because we need to understand our brothers and sisters better. We need to have more compassion towards them and empathy. And the best way to do this is by listening to their stories.
The journey to come isn’t easy. The decision to leave or move from their home country isn’t a decision that is taken lightly. People don’t want to leave their home country. They don’t want to leave their culture, food, language, and sometimes families. They don’t want to start all over in a foreign land. This is all out of necessity. This decision is one that is thought about and pondered on for months and even years and often times prayed about.
In Conclusion
It breaks my heart how negatively the media talks about God’s children who immigrate here, which is one of the reasons why I started the podcast. Immigrant’s stories matter, and everyone should listen to them. To understand, to empathize, to be grateful that they or their family didn’t have to leave their land to make a better life for themselves. What if your family had to leave the United States? Wouldn’t you want people to listen to your story?
One last question to think about: What if God called them here?
With Love, Heidy
I shared this post on my blog back in 2023. I was a year into my podcasting journey of sharing stories from immigrants. And since writing this, the rhetoric of immigrants and immigration has just gotten worse. There are times when I feel discouraged about continuing my podcast and sharing these stories, because it often feels like, “What’s the point?” - I cannot compete with the big media and the lies they spread. Still, God ALWAYS reminds me of why I started, why I’m sharing these stories, and why He called me to this purpose.
Just this past weekend, I interviewed a guest who is undocumented, and she has recently started speaking out about her journey. She thanked me for providing a safe space for our community to share their stories and for humanizing them when the dehumanization of this community had been so loud.
Immigrants are not the enemy, they are image bearers just like those of us who were born in the United States. The enemy is the false ideology that people have bought into, making them believe that immigrants are the enemy. The ideology that makes it “us versus them.” The ideology that says immigrants are here to take and destroy, when the opposite is the truth.
This fight can be tiresome at times, but my strength comes from the Lord.
With Love, Heidy
Yes + amen!!