2025 World Refugee Day Reflection
Written by Sharon Hughes, Director of The Hope Center
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:20
In early January, the world watched as the late President Jimmy Carter was laid to rest. Rooted in his faith and a deep compassion for the most vulnerable of the world, Carter signed into law a landmark piece of bipartisan legislation called the “Refugee Act of 1980”. In the wake of the Vietnam War, the Refugee Act further defined what it meant to flee one’s country based on credible threats of war and persecution. It also allowed for a process of adjusting the amount of people allowed into the United States based on global emergencies.
Since the Refugee Act was signed into law, millions of people have been vetted and given a hope-filled pathway to create a new life in the United States. And they have. From Sudan, Congo, Nepal, Syria, Liberia, Bhutan and beyond, the Refugee Act has allowed for a different ending, a redemptive new chapter, to an otherwise horrific story.
Eleven days after Jimmy Carter’s funeral, the world watched while 40+ years of refugee resettlement was paused indefinitely, deferring the hopes of millions. Mothers, fathers, and children, caught in the crossfires of war and violence, have had to come to terms with an unfavorable outcome. People who had plane tickets got the devastating news they would not be boarding flights like they thought. Families hoping to be reunited after years of separation would return to their refugee camp or temporary residence with deep longings unfulfilled. Many hearts feel sick, physically and metaphorically.
As the Director of The Hope Center for Refugees and Immigrants, I too feel a weight in my spirit. The beautiful souls that we are in relationship with everyday, who have endured more than most, have found themselves needing to endure once again. The mandate for the Church to “love the foreigner among us as we love ourselves” (Leviticus 19:34) has mistakenly fallen on partisan lines. As a result, our American spirit of compassion and generous hospitality are now in flux.
But despite what feels like unrelenting disappointment for many, we are reminded of the everyday blessings we see from the immigrant and refugee community we serve. Our classrooms are full of people from all over the world eager to learn English, financial literacy and U.S. History. When you peek into our childcare center, a group of children are circled up for story time led by a team of refugee staff. Our legal representatives continue to submit applications that reunite families across the globe and every month we are waving U.S. flags in our cafe, celebrating our newest Citizens. Caregiving classes allow newcomers the opportunity to apply for meaningful work that connects to their professional background. And The Hope Center continues to invite the broader community to eat with us and learn about various cultures and cuisines through our One World Kitchen program.
As our country wrestles to determine the value and place of immigrants in our society, we long for a world made right. But we know the ending of the story when all tribes, tongues and nations are united in worship and we work for that now, on earth as it is in heaven! While it is easy to look to politics to fill the holes in our hearts, Proverbs reminds us that every deep longing is found and satisfied by following Jesus, who is like a tree of life.
The roots of this tree can withstand wars, persecution, shifting policies, broken relationships and deep discouragement along the way. The strength of this tree can continue to provide valuable services, build relationships across cultural and political lines and put delicious food on the table for all to share. Though the leaves of our tree at times may be battered, bruised and beaten, our living hope remains.
On World Refugee Day 2025, we witness the fact that there are over 140 million displaced people worldwide in search of a home. The U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 is in limbo. Yet, we continue to work, pray and sow tirelessly on behalf of displaced people because that is what Christians are called to do. We also collectively lock arms with our immigrant neighbors and remember that eternal hope transcends earthly reality. All of our aching longings will be fulfilled and though hope may be deferred at various points in our lives and the lives of others, it is never lost in Christ. We celebrate that today.
