May I confess something to you?
Causes exhaust me.
There is no shortage of worthy causes that demand my attention these days. If you are on social media, you most likely hear the voices of a thousand causes every day. Their invitations to action are inserted between cute cat videos, clever memes, and graduation photos. They say: “If you care at all, you will do something about [fill in the blank]. Now!”
Am I the only one who is tempted to turn away from the utter magnitude of these voices? And am I the only one who feels guilty about that? Causes are indeed exhausting. I think you may agree.
But causes matter because people matter.
The reason the refugee crisis—as a cause—is important to me is because I know so many people who are refugees. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about other causes or even allow their voices to urge me to action. But caring about a cause alone isn’t enough to make real change, either inside of me or in my world.
Causes can make us feel superior. They stir up our anger. Separate us from the “others” who do not support or agree with our cause. When you know a cause, you know facts. People, on the other hand, remind us that we are all the same. That there is much to love. That a conversation about issues can be invigorating and helpful. When you know people, you know hearts and minds.
Don’t get me wrong. Causes matter.
But only because people matter most.
So, on World Refugee Day and every day at Refuge, we celebrate people. Both refugees who, as our own Leon Shombana often says, “…never woke up one day and said, ‘I think I’ll become a refugee today’” and all the people who love, support, serve, and befriend these newcomers to our country.
Thank you for caring about people with us,
Kitti
{Chase Moore took the lovely people photo at World Refugee Celebration on Saturday, June 15, 2019.}
