And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. – Leviticus 19:33-34

God tells Israel here to treat strangers as their own, and he points out that they were strangers in Egypt. God sometimes allows us to go through tribulations so that we can have compassion. We may suffer so that we can be a shoulder for others who are going through the same thing.

I met my husband in my home country, but he was a visitor studying at the time. I remember him sharing his experiences at the university as an outsider, and it was sad. But I am thankful for his family in Christ because I know he had a family in them. But when he told me these things, I wondered if, in the past, I had not had any compassion for foreign students in my midst. A few years later, we migrated, and I had another realization about this when we both became outsiders. It makes you realize how someone else feels when you have experienced something similar. It’s so much easier to have compassion.

But that’s just one simple example. So many times, we go through hard trials where we suffer, pray and feel like God is not hearing us. But be reminded that God has a plan and wants to use all of us to show love to all people. Showing that love is caring for someone suffering in that same trial you had. You can love them so much better because you truly understand. So remember that in the midst of it. Let us love others as God has loved us.