Are you doing enough for homelessness?
Recently, I met a homeless man while at a local open market. We chatted for a few minutes and he confessed that he was a veteran who lost part of his leg while serving our country in the Marines. As a retired police officer, I could tell he probably has PTSD, so I didn’t want to cause him any stress by asking the details of his wounds. Throughout the conversation he did say there was some kind of explosion and only three out of the eight team members were still alive. The rest of the team was dead. One team member, like this man, had lost part of one leg in addition to part of his arm. The other member of the team lost both legs.
It was obvious that Scott, the homeless man I met, was proud to be a Marine however, he was very distraught over losing so many of his team members. He was having difficulty adjusting to civilian life, he has been working for a year for VA benefits and now that he is homeless, he is very much in dire need of those well-deserved benefits. I immersed myself into Scott’s problem and I felt his pain and struggle as if they were my own.
I expressed my anger with him that the military should provide a phone number for veterans to call if they are experiencing any kind of difficulty, so they may receive the help they so desperately need. They had the backs of their friends and comrades and now it’s time that we have theirs. His benefits should be quickly approved, no questions asked. After all, he gave his leg and lost his buddies in order to keep us safe here in America, the VA has a responsibility to make absolutely sure our veterans have a bed to sleep in, three hot meals and direction to get their lives back on track. But, our top legislators are more interested in giving themselves raises, 100% pensions and elite healthcare while injured veterans are treated like discarded trash.
Granted, I don’t know Scott’s full story. As a cop, I know there is always a more accurate depiction of one’s story than they tell. I know there may have been bad choices Scott made along the way that placed him in the predicament he is in currently. I also know there are homeless people out there who choose to be homeless for whatever reason. Nonetheless, mine and my girlfriends hearts ached for Scott’s brokenness and our anger increased to know that this is yet another story of how our government has failed another brave Soldier, “Jar-head”, Airman or Seaman. I have been angered with these issues in the past, but I have never been face to face with someone living with such pain, pride and rejection. As a citizen of the United States and a Christian, I am embarrassed how we treat our veterans, homeless and poor.
The problem isn’t just limited to only veterans. How often do we see a homeless person and think how they give America a black eye by living on the streets but yet, we fail to lend a helping hand? We tend to walk past the homeless person on the street and not give them money or food because we are afraid they will buy alcohol or drugs with the money instead of buying food. But, does that attitude really show our obedience to Christ’s teaching or does it help to reinforce true “American” values to only take care of ourselves and leave it up to the government to solve the problem? And, how has that worked out? Is walking past someone in need and not offering some kind of help doing the opposite of what Christ calls us to do?
A Bloomberg article dated May, 2018, reported because of efforts started by President G.W. Bush and continued by President Obama, homelessness is trending down. In 2007, there were 647,300 homeless people in America and by the end of 2017 there were 553,700.1 The article also indicated that 3.5 million people will experience homelessness at some point in their lives. In an article in Military Times, the author indicated the number of homeless vets increased for the first time in seven years. The homeless vet numbers decreased from less than 74,000 in 2010 to less that 40,000 in 2016.2 Although overall numbers are trending downward, the need is still prominent.
If America is the richest and best country in the world, then how is it that we have people who are homeless and hungry? If America is the richest country in the world, then how do we have so many poor people and families as well as so many people dependent on the government for their basic needs? IF America is still a Christian nation, then what answer do we give God for neglecting those who are in such great need? Have we hid behind the Constitution and become so arrogant that we would rather say ‘I would rather get money and food from the government for doing nothing’ and ‘they have a right to receive government benefits, regardless that they can work’ and all the while, people like Scott, who laid his life down for our country, is in the situation he is in? Don’t get me wrong, I am not being unsympathetic to those who honestly need the help from the government, but it is also up to us to lend a hand to those we come into contact with. After all, isn’t that what Jesus commanded us to do? Isn’t that what was on the heart of the first century church and what they worked so hard to do?
Christ often challenged the heart of the people of his day, and us today. To think more in terms of Heavenly love for one another rather than our own selfish interests. Christ calls us to love one another as we love ourselves, but we tend to love ourselves more than others. Does loving others mean we are loving ourselves or by loving others mean that we love God? Of course, the latter but how often do we truly love others with our actions and words? 1 John 3:17–18 asks the question, if we see someone in need and we have the material possessions to give them, how can a person have the love of God if they do not have pity and help the person in need?
More often we tend to use power, privilege and prestige to lord it over others rather than be a servant to others as Christ calls us to be. (Mark 10:35–45) The early church exemplified Christ’s teaching by giving their excess to those who were in need, the poor and the widow’s. Yet, like the rich young ruler we want to store up our Earthly treasures for ourselves rather than helping the poor. We would rather store up vast amounts of money and let it sit there collecting dust rather than helping those who are in need all around us right now. (Mark 10:17–23). Jesus spoke more about our money and giving to the poor than anything else in the Bible, so the question is, do WE do enough for the poor and homeless? Do YOU do enough for the homeless? Do you have the love of God in you if you turn a blind eye to those who need your help who are right in front of you every day?
We all have a choice to make. To bring heaven or hell to those around us. Christ always challenged our heart and motivation for the things we do. Our heart and motivation should always be to bring Heaven to Earth not hell or disparity to our neighbor. The act of giving to those in need does more to benefit the giver than the receiver. (Acts 20:25) We are not called to judge the receiver and wonder if they will spend the money as WE see fit. The lesson is our generosity. Jesus loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7) so when we judge and wonder what the receiver will do with the money we just gave, then we are not a cheerful giver. We are actually a reluctant giver which is what God does not want. (2 Corinthians 9:6) We are spiritually blind and not obeying Christ’s teaching if we do not give cheerfully and without judgement.
What shall we then do? One thing that stood out to me with Scott was how grateful he was for buying him lunch and actually listening to his plight. He said others have walked past him without lending a hand. I’ll admit though, Scott looked pretty good. He looked clean, well-kept and he didn’t look hungry but, I guess that’s a lesson to be learned that someone can be in the worse situation of their lives and we wouldn’t know it just by looking at them. One thing we can do is pay attention to our surroundings. Pay attention to the people around us. Don’t be afraid to say “hello” and ask how they are doing. Not just in a way that passes the time or just to be polite but, ask with genuine concern and interest. It has to come from the heart. If you run into someone who is homeless, listen to them. Listen to their complaints and struggles. Don’t be offended if you hear vulgarity and don’t correct their thinking or beliefs. They are so grateful that you took the time to listen and not judge.
Ask to pray with them. Pray that God gives them strength, wisdom, honor and blessing. They will appreciate it. They may live like hell but love Jesus.
Don’t judge. You really don’t know the real and whole story why they are in the situation they are in. It truly may not be their fault. As a country, we have failed people. The economy has failed even the most “elite” of professionals. Accidental drug abuse, that is, drug abuse brought on by chronic pain, may have helped to cause their situation.
Be a “Good Samaritan”. Shake the hand of someone down on their luck. Offer assistance whether it be money, food or advice. Point them to a shelter or a church or entity who can help with their current situation.
Give them positive feedback. Don’t tell them they can’t do something and just be willing to be quiet and listen. Listening and validation is the greatest gift you could give someone in that kind of struggle.
Donate time and money to good organizations who are working in love and kindness to make a difference in the lives of people who are down on their luck. Organization like this are in desperate need of money and workers.
Homelessness, poverty and hunger should not exist in America. We are far too rich to allow it to happen. If we are true Christians, we should not turn our backs on these people. We must immerse ourselves in Christ teachings and pray that he changes our hearts and minds to be more compassionate and willing to work diligently for those who are in need.
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