Most of us are living the life that people only dream of. We get our weekly Amazon packages in, get to shop at the cute $5 section at Target, get our daily/weekly Starbucks boost, get our happy dose of a Trader Joe’s run, find our unique little treasures at thrift stores, we even get to attend social gatherings and parties with our friends and family, making sweet and joyous memories. Of course every family is going through their personal things, but for the most part, it’s far from a third world country type of lifestyle.
Our problems are first world problems, not third. Some of us grew up poor, but not a third country type of poor. The type of poverty some of us only know is the “ghetto” areas in our cities. Our culture today definitely knows how to desensitize and normalize things. The majority of us have never experienced what war is like, what persecution from ISIS is like, or what not being able to provide for your family is like because it’s illegal to work in the country you fled to. These are third world problems. I don’t say any of this to present any guilt trips or any type of manipulation, but I speak from personal experience because this is some of my life. I say “some” because I have also experienced the other end of the spectrum; I lived in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for 6 1/2 years. I grew up around refugees for the majority of my teenage years. The life I was living then and the life I am living now are night and day. Serving the refugees for the past 10 years has truly put life into perspective. Remembering the life I lived next to them reminds me of the stuff I actually don’t need and the things that they do. It is so hard to sacrifice our flesh sometimes because the flesh is selfish. But as Christians, we must live in the Spirit, which is less of ourselves and more of Christ.
We live in a world where so much distraction takes place, i.e. social media, news, trends. Everything is about ourselves. We so easily get caught up in our own lives that we grow the capacity to block out what is happening in other parts of the world. We totally have full access to educating ourselves about the world and its poverty, but do we? If we don’t know, then we don’t have to help, give, or feel guilty. The fact is, it’s not about guilt at all. It’s about humanity and awareness. When someone puts their time, energy and resources into you, doesn’t it feel amazing to feel supported and cared for? Especially when you are having a bad day. The refugee families that Restoring Faith serves have a lot of bad days and we are the fortunate ones that can truly make a difference in their lives by providing basic necessities to make their days a little better. This is how we can be a human to another human. Don’t look away, look at their lives. Don’t force yourself to not be educated. The refugees in Jordan are in desperate need of hope. Could we give up our cute $5 Target section and give it to someone who really needs it for their next meal, to buy soap to wash their body, buy pads for their periods, or vegetables and meat to nourish their growing kids? Restoring Faith lives to serve and tell the stories of the refugee families that need help from people like us. Share your dream with them and we’ll share theirs with you.
- By Lauriel Amoudeh, Digital Content Specialist, May 2024
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