Should we be responsible?
10/19/2009
Is taking care of the homeless a Christian responsibility? Well, Yes. “Jesus told his followers to take care of those in need. So, as Christians go about claiming Christ, then they need to follow through on Jesus’ instructions.” (thehomelessguy.blogspot.com). Sometimes we forget that Jesus himself was homeless “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58) Numerous times throughout the bible Jesus has told us to give to the needy such as Deut.15:11, Ex. 23:6, Lk. 14:12-14, Mt. 5:42 just to name a few.
So why are we raised today to believe that giving to the homeless is a bad thing. “They will use it for drugs or booze” or “they should get a job” a bunch of sorry excuses that we use to tell ourselves that we shouldn’t sacrifice on behalf of the needy in this world. On my last post there was a great comment “You know there’s only one right answer to that question. So we live in suburbs so we don’t have to be reminded of it.” It is so true, we have moved out of the city where Jesus is and have put up fortifications in our “safe place” so that we can protect ourselves from a big bad world.
In Luke 3:11 “Let the man with two tunics share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise.” Yes, we do have a responsibility to share and give to the poor but not only to give physical material but also spiritual. So many Christians stop at the giving and think they can check off their spiritual “do good” checklist and they are finished. But we must go into all the world, including those back alleys and street corners, and lead this lost world to Jesus…whew that felt good to get off the chest. Please comment and bring more body to this discussion. Would love to hear from you.
Is taking care of the homeless a Christian responsibility? Absolutely yes! So why do so many of us turn our heads and walk on by? More than likely guilt and fear. We are so good at coming up with reasons that might seem rational. They are just gonna spend it on booze, drugs, and cigs. More than likely you’re right. I don’t have any money or anything else to give. Well you can give acknowledgment with a smile, handshake, hello, or hug. Making excuses like these are just an Aspirin for our convictions. We are exposed for a brief moment to the outcasts and it’s easier to turn our heads until we can get to our safe place and forget all about it.
What can we do to change this? Prepare. Prepare your hearts for the next time you encounter a stranger in need. Pray that God will use you in a unique way. Have a plan even if it’s a small one. If it’s the money issue then consider keeping a McD’s gift card in your wallet.
I believe you will find your perspective shift dramatically with a little preparation. You will more than likely go from, “oh crap there’s a homeless guy and I don’t know what to do” to “this is a moment that I have been preparing for and I couldn’t be more happy”.
I want to leave you with another question to dwell on. Is giving money to the homeless wrong if I know that they are going to spend it on booze, drugs, and cigs?
hhhm, good follow up question. I do prefer to meet the exact need that is expressed to me if I can…be it food…lets get something to eat; be it clothing…have mine. But when all I have and all they are asking for is some form of money I have in the last few years answered with “yes, yes I do” and just lift them up specifically in prayer, I am responsible for the Lord’s command to give to all who ask and to do it with a cheerful heart. What they do with it is between them and the Lord.
Does that put me in a position to be taken advantage of? Absolutely!!! More often than not I am in this small way taken advantage of, but I would rather be taken advantage of then deny a possible opportunity the Lord has given me to bless someone else. Some examples…I recently was asked at a gas station for some gas money by a more desperate looking woman. I wasn’t thinking and simply gave her the cash, we were at a gas station what could happen, instead of offering to swipe for some gas for her. As I am filling up she goes in comes out with cigarettes, gets in her car and we pull out at the same time. We are sitting next to eachother side by side, she is smoking and didn’t get any gas. Was I a little taken aback? Yes, but it gave me the opportunity to just lift her up in prayer for a couple of minutes, something that probably wouldn’t have happened IF she had used the money the way she told me she would.
Another time when I lived in Oklahoma City I had a homeless friend I was giving a ride to, helping him run some errands since it was so cold. The last errand he gave me turn by turn directions with no hint on where we were going…he had me drop him off at the liquor super store. I had literally helped and delivered him to purchase booze. Had I known that is where we were headed, I don’t know what I would of done, but I do know I was able to bless him that day and show Christ’s love in a very real way as well as chat with him all along the way.
So for me, give to all who ask, and if possible go the extra mile to do life with them for a little while, get to know them…you may find drugs and alcohol, but thats a reality, that’s what often surrounds the lost and broken, that is what you must wade through…but if you do, you will also find a hurting soul that may just need a friend.
We have started carrying care packages in our cars. They are filled with food and drink for the day, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, razors, bandages, and a BIBLE, ect. This is a way of giving them some of what they need, plus a way to get into God’s word without giving them money on which to spend on drugs, booze or cigs. When we see the homeless we just roll down the window and hand them a packet. It is such a blessed felling when they smile and say God Bless you or thank you. If you want you can get out and hand it to them and maybe start a conversation. There are so many ways to help them and to get to know them without handing them money. We are always looking for other ways to help. The blessings of helping those who can’t help themselves are a hundred fold.
The most responsible thing you can do regarding homeless people is to educate yourself about homelessness. People who attempt to help the homeless without any real and personal knowledge of it usually make things worse for the homeless, instead of making things better. With everything else you learn, it takes time and effort.
Kevin has a good point, we do need to educate ourselves about homelessness. One great resource is the book “Under the Overpass” by Mike Yankowski, or his website http://www.undertheoverpass.com. One thing Mike said (while living homeless on the streets) was just the simple act of being acknowledged by another human being would make his day. He has an ache in his soul that no one should live this way. Jesus, when he looked at the crowds had compassion on them, we in turn should follow our teachers example. Yes we need education, but most importantly, we need to develop love for our “neighbors” and act on it.
I am loving this discussion and I’m learning a lot from everyone’s posts. I asked last week about giving money and whether or not it is wrong if we know they will spend it on booze, drugs, or cigarettes. I want to tell you a story about a man I met about two years ago. I’m obviously not a writer so bare with me.
His name was Rocky. A short man with a dark complexion about 45 years of age. I met Rocky in front of Coney Island downtown OKC just a few days after I had finished reading Under the Overpass. This was the first meeting of many more to come. I learned more and more about him in the following weeks. He had never asked for money and said he just enjoyed the company.
One day I met him for lunch and one of the first things he said was, “can you spare some money so I can buy a pack of cigarettes and get a room at the salvation army?” (he couldn’t stay at the city rescue because he had fallen asleep in the lobby and they kicked him out for the week) This was the first and only time he had asked me for money. It made me uncomfortable and I quickly told him I didn’t feel right giving him money. I was surprised when he reacted with a big smile and said it was no big deal and he would be taken care of. I guess I expected him to be upset. We sat outside eating our lunch and during that lunch something strange happened. A business man walked over to Rocky and handed him 3 or 4 cigarettes without really saying much. I was sure Rocky was going to give me a smirk but he shoved them in his pocket and continued at his lunch. Moments later a lady called him by name and gave him several more as she passed by. By the time we finished lunch I was sure he had more than enough cigarettes for the day. Rocky also kept a zip-lock bag of cigarette butts in his coat pocket. I was speechless. I could almost hear God whispering, “I can give this guy cigarettes all day long but you have money in your pocket that Rocky needs today.” So what did I do? We usually ended our meetings by getting a coke and candy bar at a store down the street. I planned on giving him the cash left over this time and I was excited to do so. As I reached for my wallet he smiled and motioned for me to keep it in my pocket. He insisted and counted out the change he had to pay for our treats. Amazing! Talk about a humbling experience. There is so much I could say about how I felt at that moment but I think you have a pretty good idea. We made our way back down the street and I couldn’t think of anything to say. I was in shock of the whole afternoon. I gave him what money I had and Rocky smiled and said, “I knew I would be taken care of.”. I left the city that day more blessed than I have ever been.
I met with Rocky several more times after that and learned more and more. He never asked for money again and even turned down an offer I made because he said he had enough for now. The last time I tried to visit him I couldn’t find him and found out through his friend Larry that he found a job and moved on. Way to go Rocky!
I’m not really sure how to end this post but I knew I wanted to share this story with you. I learned plenty from Rocky and I hope that you can too.