One with Another: A Personal Reflection on World Refugee Day
By Sharon Hughes
"The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust: He himself will rescue you from the bird trap, from the destructive plague. He will cover you with his feathers; you will take refuge under his wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield."
Psalms 91:1-4 CSB
The nail technician covered my pinky with a final coat of glossy cranberry-red polish. As I waited for my birthday manicure to dry, my head tilted up towards three mounted television screens, all flashing images of horror out of Syria. It was 2016 and though war and unrest had been underway for months, there were new reports of chemical attacks against children.
My chest tightened. I thought about my own precious children. How do I sit here, knowing Syrian refugees and millions of other people in similar situations, are coming to our shores (our cities) because their life depends on it? How do I play some small part in the call of Jesus to love these neighbors as I love myself?
A few years later my family uprooted our lives to be close to the refugee community in Cleveland. We sold our home, we said goodbye to dear friends and family and we intentionally chose a place to live that was close to a refugee center doing good and meaningful work. We didn’t want the refugee community to be on the margins of our lives, we wanted them to be front and center. Our vision was to show hospitality, and ultimately to spread God’s love to weary souls.
While I was ready on day one of our move, I got pregnant. I needed to weather sickness and manage caring for a brand new baby now, away from friends and family. I pulled myself up by my bootstraps a year later and once again tried to get close to my international neighbors. The day I applied to teach English at the center was the day the world shut-down due to the COVID pandemic. I couldn’t seem to help, even if I wanted to.
Three years into our move, we were the ones looking for a sense of home. We were tired, lonely and felt the financial strain of a big move. Depleted and spread thin, we wondered if we had gotten it all wrong.
Right before we threw in the towel and moved back to Chicago, an Afghan woman who I had met at our local park invited us over for dinner. Her and her husband spread a feast out on the floor of their apartment that made us feel like royalty. They prepared Qabli Palo, an Afghan rice dish with red raisins, carrots and lamb stew. I sipped warm mint tea and let each flavor-packed bite nourish my body and soul. I watched my kids dance around with their kids as the rug beneath me felt like a warm inviting hug. We shared stories and laughter and I left understanding in a new way that we needed this family as much as they needed us. Before we could serve, we needed to know the value and joy of being served.
As I have gotten closer to the refugee community, I have been reminded that we are all weary travelers looking for home. Some of us flee a literal war and others of us are wounded on the battleground of loneliness, walking through a desert of depression, trapped in a camp of materialism, longing to know if we are known, seen and loved. While tangibly helping the refugee community and the specific needs they have is vital, we can’t forget that they too, offer something valuable and needed. When we sojourn together through the tangles of life, we are better for it.
I believe that God is home. Echoing Psalm 91, God is our refuge and we are journeying towards Him. He doesn’t give us a generic label or group us into categories because of our lot in life. He calls us by name, reminding us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and uniquely called to live fully for His good purposes. He gave us the gift of each other to carry the load when it gets tough, and He offers all weary travelers the drink of salvation- the gift of an eternal home that can never be taken away.
On World Refugee day, may we honor the millions of people who have been resilient and courageous in unimaginable ways. May we get proximate and know that serving one another flies in every direciton. And may we remember we walk together as fellow sojourners towards the presence of a Holy God who always gives us the hope of home!