Recently I went to Atlanta for a short getaway. Make no mistake Atlanta is a world class city. Its downtown is the pride of the SouthEast and always excites me. Its attractions are many and varied,. You can go to the Opera or professional baseball, ride MARTA or enjoy the sights of Stone Park with the family.
However, there is another side of Atlanta, like any other city. Yet the problem of homelessness hit me squarely between the eyes as I was driving around downtown Atlanta! You could not hardly ignore it. You saw them EVERWHERE! Around the MARTA stations, around the State Capitol, on adjoining streets, sleeping on park benches, in parks, even on the steps of a church! I almost went over there and tried to wake the fellow, but I though,t hey he needs his sleep...(maybe he had to wander the streets at night to keep from getting mugged. maybe the exhaustion of never having a place to settle just took its toll.
I was there once, Yes yours truly was once homeless for a few weeks. I knew what it meant to wander the streets and to try to find a place to bed down for the night. I also know how it felt several times, at the mission, "Sorry we dont have anymore room" The sheer frustration of not having your private space at the mission and the fight to keep a good attidude. I remember going to the soup kitchen thinking I hope I dont see anybody I know! I mean it was embarassing and humiliating to go through this.. but I go through it!
To often our first impulse is to brush off beggars and panhandlers with a cold eye or shoulder or turn up our nose indignantly at their approach! Not everyone is a bum on the street, or a worthless tramp:all it takes is the collapse of your family support structure and some bad choices.. AND THERE YOU ARE!!
I am not trying to besmirch Atlanta's sterling reputation. I also know of course, that there are many programs there to assist the needy. The problem was so overwhelming I just had to write about it. This is where the rubber hits the road, where the friction of RAW UNCUT UNCENSORED LIFE HITS YOU. and you find yourself at crossroads. You'd rather turn away..
What will you do?
How will i react? and how will i respond?
Society preys on the homeless, groups of teenagers in cities will engage in "wildings" just to get their kicks, they beat up even kill defenseless homeless people.. Others make fun of them or just turn away in disgust. I wonder what our Lord would have done. I doubt that he would have copped our responses.
Our response ought to be one of love and compassion. Am I saying give them a handout every time they ask for one? no, am i saying shake hands with everyone on the street and make them your best friend? of course not.. What I am saying there are ways that you and I can get involved with homeless indirectly or directly.
I have volunteered with the local soup kitchen, and yes taken the time to talk with some of them afterwards. You can volunteer for Habit for Humanity, a organization that builds houses for the lower tier of society. When we respond with love and compassion, we imitate Jesus who regularly mingled with publican and sinners.
Matt 25:31-46 talks about the Judgement day, and he expressly refers to the poor and tells his disciples "I was poor and you fed me, I was thirsty... they asked how when? When you did to the least of these, you did it unto me!" That was Christ's attitude.. how you treat the least of these is how you treat me.Im sure that rattle a few cages! This is a paridigm shift that cuts against all that we know. We shun, and God says love, we avoid and God says. give to the least of these.
Christ spoke to the rich man, and asked him to go sell all that he had and give to the poor and come and follow Him., What a demanding request, such that the man was not willing to do it!
The Son of Man did not have a regular place to lay his head. I hope our response to the homeless mirrors the Christ like spirit. For someday He will be asking you, "What have you done to the least of these, you also did to me!"
http://www.jesuscentral.com/ji/life-of-jesus-modern/jesus-poor.php
Above some more food for thought!
However, there is another side of Atlanta, like any other city. Yet the problem of homelessness hit me squarely between the eyes as I was driving around downtown Atlanta! You could not hardly ignore it. You saw them EVERWHERE! Around the MARTA stations, around the State Capitol, on adjoining streets, sleeping on park benches, in parks, even on the steps of a church! I almost went over there and tried to wake the fellow, but I though,t hey he needs his sleep...(maybe he had to wander the streets at night to keep from getting mugged. maybe the exhaustion of never having a place to settle just took its toll.
I was there once, Yes yours truly was once homeless for a few weeks. I knew what it meant to wander the streets and to try to find a place to bed down for the night. I also know how it felt several times, at the mission, "Sorry we dont have anymore room" The sheer frustration of not having your private space at the mission and the fight to keep a good attidude. I remember going to the soup kitchen thinking I hope I dont see anybody I know! I mean it was embarassing and humiliating to go through this.. but I go through it!
To often our first impulse is to brush off beggars and panhandlers with a cold eye or shoulder or turn up our nose indignantly at their approach! Not everyone is a bum on the street, or a worthless tramp:all it takes is the collapse of your family support structure and some bad choices.. AND THERE YOU ARE!!
I am not trying to besmirch Atlanta's sterling reputation. I also know of course, that there are many programs there to assist the needy. The problem was so overwhelming I just had to write about it. This is where the rubber hits the road, where the friction of RAW UNCUT UNCENSORED LIFE HITS YOU. and you find yourself at crossroads. You'd rather turn away..
What will you do?
How will i react? and how will i respond?
Society preys on the homeless, groups of teenagers in cities will engage in "wildings" just to get their kicks, they beat up even kill defenseless homeless people.. Others make fun of them or just turn away in disgust. I wonder what our Lord would have done. I doubt that he would have copped our responses.
Our response ought to be one of love and compassion. Am I saying give them a handout every time they ask for one? no, am i saying shake hands with everyone on the street and make them your best friend? of course not.. What I am saying there are ways that you and I can get involved with homeless indirectly or directly.
I have volunteered with the local soup kitchen, and yes taken the time to talk with some of them afterwards. You can volunteer for Habit for Humanity, a organization that builds houses for the lower tier of society. When we respond with love and compassion, we imitate Jesus who regularly mingled with publican and sinners.
Matt 25:31-46 talks about the Judgement day, and he expressly refers to the poor and tells his disciples "I was poor and you fed me, I was thirsty... they asked how when? When you did to the least of these, you did it unto me!" That was Christ's attitude.. how you treat the least of these is how you treat me.Im sure that rattle a few cages! This is a paridigm shift that cuts against all that we know. We shun, and God says love, we avoid and God says. give to the least of these.
Christ spoke to the rich man, and asked him to go sell all that he had and give to the poor and come and follow Him., What a demanding request, such that the man was not willing to do it!
The Son of Man did not have a regular place to lay his head. I hope our response to the homeless mirrors the Christ like spirit. For someday He will be asking you, "What have you done to the least of these, you also did to me!"
Above some more food for thought!
