Jeremiah 29:4-7
“Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses, and live in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. Take wives, and have sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and don’t be diminished. Seek the shalom of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its shalom you will have shalom.’”
This passage is from a letter written by the prophet Jeremiah, sent from Jerusalem to the Jewish people who had been taken into exile in Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar, around 597 BCE. These exiles likely hoped for a quick return home, but Jeremiah's message encouraged them to settle into their new reality for the long term.
How might living well in a place you didn't choose reshape your understanding of home and belonging?