As you drop your head on your down pillow tonight in order to get some shuteye, take a moment and think about the millions of displaced people around the world who do not have a place to rest properly. Jesus did say, “Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Above is a haunting photo of a four-year-old Syrian refugee who is on the run on her way to Macedonia, taking whatever opportunity there is to rest in order to sleep. The rest here is a temporary one, as she does not really know just how much longer she has, so she might as well make the most of the situation -- even if it means catching forty winks while she is sandwiched between railway tracks. I would presume that the railway track itself is no longer in use, otherwise it would be a foolhardy choice for a sleeping place.
The mass migration of refugees from the Middle East to other parts of the world -- especially knocking at the doors of Europe, is something that is heart-wrenching and heart-breaking to say the least. Many of them have to go without food for days on end, and they are not treated kindly by most people. In fact, it would not be surprised if they were treated as pariahs in the sight of the locals -- assuming that they have gotten past border controls in the first place.
You will also be able to find that the attempted mass migration of these refugees would result in less than stellar living conditions. There would obviously be overcrowded boats that will see many people cramming themselves in like sardines, and safety is never the top priority on the list. Hence, we have heard of many horror stories concerning capsized boats that also saw a whole lot of loss of life. Another sight that is difficult to stomach is the chaos and clamoring that happens at border checkpoints, with some running away from guards who are well armed with guns, while other refugees are sprayed at by water cannons.
With over 2.4 million Syrian children living with refugee status according to UNICEF, the actual figure could be a whole lot more. The 2.4 million ballpark figure also makes up more than 50% of the total number of refugees who have left their home country in Syria, which goes to show what a young population the country has. Syria is not the only country to see an exodus of people -- there are other migrants from different Middle Eastern countries who have also tried to start a new and better life elsewhere, leaving home just to be rid of any conflict, wars, poverty, and famine.
Many of the young children have to carry their own personal belongings and take long walks throughout the day, while others are forced into hard labor so that they can support their families. With such difficult and challenging conditions, it is no wonder that many of these young ones feel tired and would grasp any chance whatsoever to rest, sleeping wherever they think it is conducive. A peaceful bedtime is the very least that they deserve. Hopefully the haunting images that you see here will be able to help put things into perspective for the rest of the world in helping these people and children have a shot at a better life.
