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I've been reading in Luke lately (lots of good stuff in there). In one place Jesus talks about loving our neighbor.
The day before yesterday I had yet one more homeless panhandler (well...I don't know if he was actually homeless but from the looks and the time of night he approached my truck, it's likely he was) approach me. I did my usual with him. Tried to ignore him as long as I could (the quicker you make eye contact with them the faster they come over asking you for money) and then when he got right next to my driver's window I said "What's up?" in a loud and tough voice. He didn't say anything - wanting me to roll down the window I think. I then said a bit louder and in what I hoped was a tougher voice "What's up?". He then put two of his fingers together and started rubbing them in the universally recognized sign of money.
I said "I don't have any to give you!" twice I think (you usually have to say things like that a few times before they get the point) and that was that. He walked off into the night.
I didn't want him to get mad and come a busting my window out with a baseball bat so I moved and continued working on my laptop in another parking lot (I live in my truck and was working on my laptop).
Anyway...I started wondering about what the Lord would have me do about such encounters. I don't think the way I handled it was loving him as my neighbor. I gots to do better than I did but what?
Giving him money is a cop out and it will just enable him to continue in his lifestyle. The Bible makes clear that he who does not work (or is unwilling to work) does not eat. Most Christian charities that give to the homeless are...shall we say...enabling people and not doing what Christ would want I think.
So...what are we supposed to do?
I mean with regard to loving homeless panhandlers as ourselves?
In my opinion...giving money to organizations that help the homeless is a cop out too. Jesus didn't say "Go and give to someone who will help the homeless". He said "YOU go and love your neighbor!".
Any ideas?
If I was in his shoes I think I would want someone to invite me to their home for some hot chocolate, talk to me by a fireplace about my lifestyle, maybe get to know me better, offer to have me spend the night so that I can get my head straightened up a bit, and then offer to have me shower and eat breakfast in the morning before helping me go and look for work.
You know, that type of thing.
But I ain't got no home to invite him to and if I invited him to sit in my truck...well...let's just say there's not much room in my truck.
I suppose I could invite him in and then drive around looking for any drivethru's that are still open at 1:00 AM (I'm in Canada where everything tends to shut down early - not like the States where a lot of stuff is open 24 hours), buy him something to eat, and then try and talk to him in my cramped quarters or something.
But if I did that with every homeless guy who approaches me...I'd spend most of my day sometimes, doing little more than driving homeless panhandlers around looking for a drivethru.
It's tough knowing what to do it seems...or maybe I'm just hardened in heart such that I don't see with the eyes of Jesus.
Location: THEN: Paso Robles, Ca * NOW: Albuquerque, NM
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I used to feel like you did. Then I learned that I am NOT responsible for the actions of others. God calls us to care for our neighbor, give the shirt off our back, feed the hungry, etc. However, Scripture doesn't tell us to place conditions on other's actions [Give so-and-so money IF he won't squander it; give so-and-so a shirt AS LONG AS she will care for it ..]. The Bible just says GIVE. Oftentimes *I* place conditions on the needy people around me ("I won't give him money because he will probably spend it."). But you know what? I'm not responsible for how the homeless guy abuses my generosity. It's the parable of the talents -- you abuse and you lose. There are repercussions and judgment for those people who waste/abuse gifts given to them. HOWEVER, God will always look favorably on a kind heart. I think it's always better to be obedient to God and let God dole out the consequences.
I don't think you are expected to drive homeless through drive thrus unless God prompts you. But even if you live in your truck, you can talk with him, pray with him, and get him food later. I know many people who won't give money away but will buy food for the people. I've been prompted to buy food for certain homeless, too, but I've always been nervous about it since I am a female.
I understand we live in a culture that values work (and we have to work -- sometimes too much), but I think it is easy to get caught up in the earthly perspective vs. the heavenly perspective. I would rather "waste" my time being obedience to Christ.
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.
If you want to help those who need help, donate to a homeless shelter or food bank or some other charitable orginzation that helps those in need.
I don't trust anyone who approaches me asking for a handout. You never know what their intentions are.
My safety comes first.
The Bible says the Lord helps those who help themselves.
The last time I was approached by a beggar I was sitting at a red light, after dark, on a hot night with my window rolled down in a bad part of town that I had to go through to go home from a hospital visit.
Some guy came up to my truck and and wanted a handout.
When I told him I didn't have any money on me he tried to reach through the open window and grab me by the neck. Big mistake.
He was bigger, much younger, and looked to be in fine health.
I hit the button to run up the window and took off.
I dragged him across the intersection and then run the window back down to release his arm.
I don't think he got hurt other than maybe a few scrapes. I know he got up and gave me the finger.
You don't know what someone might have in mind to do to you.
I refuse to let myself be put in a helpless position even if I have to hurt someone to do that and I will do it without hesitation.
I worked all my life to have what I have.
Any able bodied and mentally competent person can do the same damn thing. This person appeared to have the ability to earn a living and he wasn't getting anything from me.
If I was in his shoes I think I would want someone to invite me to their home for some hot chocolate, talk to me by a fireplace about my lifestyle, maybe get to know me better, offer to have me spend the night so that I can get my head straightened up a bit, and then offer to have me shower and eat breakfast in the morning before helping me go and look for work.
You know, that type of thing.
I suppose I could invite him in
It's tough knowing what to do it seems...or maybe I'm just hardened in heart such that I don't see with the eyes of Jesus.
A brother of the Way did that invite gig and it could have cost him his life. Unless you have the gift of Discerning spirits leave em alone, so many are possessed.
A buck or "plate lunch" passed out the window and be on you way. We live in a lawless world and the 'night watch' is not out on patrol.
Unless you have the gift of Discerning spirits leave em alone, so many are possessed.
(...)
We live in a lawless world and the 'night watch' is not out on patrol.
It truly is a sad when the state is unwilling to take care of the people who're suffering from a mental disorder.
I wonder how many of the American homeless are actually combat veterans.
Luckily the Dutch military have a competent union.
Last edited by Tricky D; 08-27-2008 at 04:45 AM..
Reason: typo
Giving him money is a cop out and it will just enable him to continue in his lifestyle. The Bible makes clear that he who does not work (or is unwilling to work) does not eat. Most Christian charities that give to the homeless are...shall we say...enabling people and not doing what Christ would want I think.
So...what are we supposed to do?
I would start by reading TrickyD's post over again. It struck me as "food for thought" and takes far less time than reading vast numbers of chapters in the Bible, as it essentially goes to the heart of what that Bible says...(And June is NOT "bashing" the Bible whatsoever.)
Here is what I can tell you about our homeless population where I live:
At the time that the states decided they could no longer afford to keep psychiatric hospitals open, they discharged their patients to the street. Literally. It still happens every single day in this country. So I suppose that by your reasoning, above, that they are being "enabled" due to the fact that Christian charities provides food and donations for them...
An overwhelming number of homeless people are substance abusers. It's easy for everyone reading this post to say: "Well, they should find God, go into detox, and get a job! I'm not about to enable them." I work with a few of these individuals. There aren't enough detoxes, there aren't enough beds, and these folks can't exactly afford the traditional 28 day rehabilitation program that most "middle Americans" might have at their disposal. --Or used to have, given the fact that insurance companies no longer cover 28 day treatment programs. Then again, there are vast numbers of homeless who have no insurance; thereby eliminating the option for detox and rehabilitation. Such is the life of the homeless substance abuser, given the fact that they already know how society looks at them, and they have long since internalized society's attitude of regarding them as hopeless and not worthy of help.
I won't even address the unprecidented number of those who are out of work due to unemployment in this country, and who have lost their homes. There is a very real reason that people end up homeless, and I don't exactly see any funds going to build new homeless shelters in the area where I live...I do, however, see the number of homeless individuals, and their families, rising.
These folks don't want handouts, they need and want help. And "help" in this individual's mind is defined first and foremost as the following:
These people are human beings.
Call me crazy, but they are no less worthy of my dignity and respect and kindness than anyone else who is "able bodied" and capable of work. I am not saying that we should be handing out money to every homeless person who asks for it. However, I am saying that they and their plight need to be seen in an overall context that is reality based. Like any other culture or subculture in our society, there exists a subculture among the homeless population. I work with a man who received his Master's in Engineering from Harvard, and is now living in a homeless shelter. He used to own a number of homes, cars, and by anyone's definition and standard of "success" he was and had that. -And no, he is not an addict. He sustained a very severe traumatic event in his life from which he is still trying to recover.
Yesterday I sat with a 53 year old man who has been a drug addict most of his life. "Homelessness" is not something that is unfamiliar to him, either. He proceeded to tell me how someone in authority, whom he greatly trusted, sexually abused him when he was a child. He had never disclosed this to anyone before, and in so doing, proceeded to sit before my June 7th eyes and just break down and sob...He wasn't looking for money, he wasn't looking for pity, he wasn't even looking for my sympathy. --But what he was able to relate to was someone who was able to honestly look him in the eyes and say "I am so very sorry that that happened to you. It was not your fault."
Empathy heals in minute, tiny little bits and pieces at a time. Sometimes it's a start. Sometimes it's all we can do. But I couldn't help but wonder "And here too, is the Jesus that I read about in those threads on CD every day. Here's that presence of what they all refer to as the holy spirit in those threads I read every day." --Except I'm not a believer. It was just one more transient, fleeting thought that went through my "religion forum moderator's head" as I sat with that man...
You ask in your post what we are supposed to do.
I don't pretend to have the answers, I really don't. But I can say this:
If even this atheist can somehow see in these people what she does, then it is an unfathomable mystery how any believer, any self-professed Christian cannot. The homeless that we pass by every day are human beings. They have become the invisible souls of our cities, as that is how we wish them to be: Invisible. It's easier for us that way. It's easier because we don't have to think about them. We don't really want to think about them, do we? --Because if we do, it calls into question our own emotional vulnerabilities, and that makes us uncomfortable. (And no one likes feeling "uncomfortable.") So it's easier to blame them for their addiction, for their mental illness, for their "hard luck" and just keep on walking. It's less overwhelming and more self protective for us to do so. And, in doing so, it also prevents us from ever having to ask ourselves:
"What are we supposed to do?"
-Because, (heaven forbid!) this individual suspects that even Jesus would validate the fact that the very question calls into question, and entails action. Even when the only action one can take, or may be required in the moment to take, is in how they think about the homeless and/or the less fortunate. How our attitudes influence our thoughts and actions. How our attitudes impact our hearts. How that, in turn, impacts the lives of others. How sometimes, all "atheist June" can do in the moment (despite her "education," despite her "training," despite all that exists in her life that enables her to even have the luxury of writing out this post) --is look into the eyes of some 53 year old man and say:
"It was not your fault."
Sometimes, it's just a matter of empathy, and...
kindness.
Basic human kindness.
--And then and only then would I think that perhaps reading the Bible and praying for him might make sense...Only within that context. IF I was someone who believed. A Christian.
Thank you June! This is one of the best post I have read in a long time.... it is true, Christ loves them no more or less, then the average Joe we see everyday!
Most of these individuals need their dignity, assurance, that they are still loved, back into their lives.
The human touch is the greatest gift we are given. And that maybe in a smile, a dollar bill, a meal, or just a kind hello...or just giving them the time of the day. So they can connect and feel once again that they are just as important in this life as any other human being.
Many do need to hear, I am sorry for what has happen and no it isn't your fault. So many carry false guilt, pain of rejection, pain of violation, in their hearts and do not know what to do with these emotions.
Whenever I see someone who is an homeless or addict, I ask myself what has hurt that person so deeply, they can not find the way beyond it. So they turn to alcohol, drugs, whatever for a relief of the pain within them.
People truly do not choose to be homeless.... but circumstances of life has led them on that path, whether emotionally, financial, majority of them are truly stuck and don't know how to get out....and have just given themselves over to it!!!
I agree with June, we need to see more empathy for our neighbor to help them. I don't believe we have to walk that road to feel what they have felt, but a heart with the love of Christ in it can feel the empathy for the one who is in need of His love.....
If giving them a drink, food, clothing is enabling them, then Jesus was the biggest enabler ever to live on this earth.....
IT is hard to know what to do about the homeless. Whose responsibility is it anyway? Is it the governments'? The states'? The county, city, churches? Is it our responsibility, as individual human beings exposed to seeing these people each and every day on our way to work? Most homeless, I would even dare to say roughly 93% of them either suffer from mental illness, alcoholism and drug-addiction. There are many homeless veterans out there, cast aside by their own government, once their use was gone. This is a sad thing. In the richest country on the planet, supposedly, nothing is being done to help these people help themselves. One does not CHOOSE to be homeless, except in rare cases, and even that is suspect, due to mental illness. You, being of sound mind, would you CHOOSE to live this way, having ALL your mental faculties? I don't think so. So what is the answer? Should we simply give them hand-outs? That isn't the answer. Should we petition Congress to build more shelters? More Rehabilitation programs? Congress isn't going to do that because they don't care. They have never cared. Sure, they built these buildings for the homeless, but not because they truly cared. They built them to APPEASE THE MASSES, who demanded such services. Can we really afford to send the mentally ill homeless people into psychiatric wards at OUR expense? The cost would run into the billions yearly. Since, we're already giving illegal immigrants 338.3 BILLION dollars a year for welfare, food stamps, medical assistance and an education, can we afford to spend another few billion on the homeless? Perhaps, if our government stops wasting billions of dollars by giving help to people who shouldn't even be here in the first place, we can afford to help our own kind. Pehaps, if our government stops wasting 550 trillion dollars on a war in Iraq, we would have enough to help the homeless help themselves. And we don't have to give them hand-outs. IF they truly want to help themselves, then we can offer them education, rehab, psychiatric help. IF they don't, then what choice do we have but to leave them?
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The same way you would love your mother if she was a homeless panhandler.
bra can you spare a dime
It truly is a sad when the state is unwilling to take care of the people who're suffering from a mental disorder.
I wonder how many of the American homeless are actually combat veterans.
What to do
