Personal Pivot
The last year has been quite the pivot for me. God awakened my heart to the crisis of the homeless and low income individuals and families in our country. I walked into a local non-profit to volunteer as a counselor and walked out after my first day with heart full of conviction to do SOMETHING. When something like this takes over your heart and soul there is only way to respond - total surrender. In today’s world, these types of transformations are often met with a mixture of reactions. For example, many - including my church family and most close friends have been very supportive with prayers, donations, encouragement, etc, while others have doubled down on the sentiment of “quit helping and they will take care of it themselves”- an oversimplified reaction to one the biggest obstacles facing our country right now. Obviously, if that worked ,our homeless problem would be on a much smaller scale.
When transformation like this comes along, especially when the topic has been so politicized (like everything else) you have to make some hard choices. First you have to toughen up and retain your conviction regardless of the pushback you might get from a few people. (Most have been extremely supportive) but I have also had to remove myself from one or two relationships that had toxic potential because I knew in my heart that I could not be exposed to that philosophy on a daily basis. It’s very difficult to do a work like this and have constant exposure to that kind of negativity. Don’t get me wrong. Most of my closest friends have been a wealth of kindness and support.
Early on, I learned a few very important lessons. One lesson I learned is one that I touched on before - Homelessness and the inability to pay bills and provide food is much more complex than many would like to recognize. It is my belief that many use the argument of “if you give them a handout, they won’t help themselves” instead of “do not do for others what they can do for themselves”. Even if you see them get into a fancy car after a day of panhandling, you don’t know if they are being pimped . I will add, when in doubt, help them if you are financially able. Don’t beat yourself up if you see them go into a liquor store after your kind gesture. Be grateful that your heart is not hardened to the difficulties some face in this world. I understand that not all Christians have the same perspective as I do, but according to my personal biblical worldview - even with all I am trying to do, I am not doing enough. It is a work in progress. When I look at the teachings and actions of Jesus, I only see give, give, give - with grace, humility, and love. According to the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:42, Jesus says, “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” There is an outdated belief that the homeless are lazy. Before you launch into your lazy speech, hear me out. Yes, just as there are some lazy people in the general population, there are lazy people in the homeless population, BUT, studies show that nearly half of the homeless are working. It is not enough in many cases. I have found this to be true in my work as well. There are so many variables that create the homeless population, including mental illness, inflation, hospital bills, addiction -etc. Never assume when looking at a homeless person that they are not experiencing at least one or all of these obstacles.
Another lesson I learned early on (thank goodness) is the importance of established and shared boundaries. Yes, I was gung ho in the beginning to the tune of accidentally overdrawing our account - twice. This is also not the way to do it, obviously. Homeless people have experienced great trauma. They are self preserving and protective. Sometimes because of their trauma and their fear, they are not truthful. They see this as the only way of survival. How very sad. At this point, compassion is needed. We just have to discern as best we can. On issues such as these I generally like to give second chances if they acknowledge their deception. It doesn’t take long to figure out who is willing to accept your help with getting a job, coming up with a budget, finding a place to live, etc. I won’t go into the specific boundaries but they are extremely important. While I know that homelessness is complicated, people have to be willing to do their part and work hard, and invest emotionally and otherwise. Thank goodness, I have had more accept my help than not.
You cannot be afraid. Most homeless people I have met just want to be acknowledged as human beings. When you are near a homeless person, smile, wave, say hello. Ask if they’re ok. Engage. Try your very best not to heap more shame on them by passing by and looking at the ground, or crossing the street to avoid them (unless they are obviously intoxicated ).
As I said, this has been a game changer for me. I have completely been motivated into a space where I believe I can truly be used. This is not the first time this has happened to me. I was a music teacher at a wonderful private Christian Academy in Murfreesboro, TN. It was a terrific place to work. But, eventually I felt as though I could accomplish more in the public arena. So I moved to public schools. There is an important place for ministries that minister to those inside the church. I acknowledge that and I have done that and I still do that in the way of music ministry. There are people who are called to that - sharing their own stories of redemption and love with other church members who might feel silenced because of the lack of sharing of these stories in the church setting or because they feel they are the only ones experiencing difficulties. So very important. God is not leading me there, particularly. I feel as though God is leading me into an arena where my capacity to love and accept ALL people, (immigrants, LGBTQ+, marginalized, addicts, etc) will remove barriers that others may face in these areas. For some Christians it is difficult to be in the setting I am in, and withhold judgement and proselytizing at a time they only need to see love and compassion. I am hoping that they will eventually see what I have in my personal relationship with Jesus.
