KEY VERSE:
Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what
they have done. Proverbs 19:17
ESSAY:
I've had four encounters with homeless people in the last two weeks. Two of
those encounters happened in my front yard. Four interactions are more than I
have had in an entire year in the past. Let me breakdown the four times.
1) I brought my son home from behavioral therapy for his autism to find a homeless couple and their belongings on my front lawn. I argued with the homeless women about her smoking in my front yard and asked the couple to depart.
2) A homeless and intoxicated man approached me at a public park. I had gone there mid- afternoon to read my Bible and do my devotions in the shade trees. He was very polite. I declined to give him money, but he stayed and talked with me for 30 minutes. We talked about God and our wives and going through pain. He seemed like a decent enough man. But he obviously had an alcohol problem. We probably would have talked longer but I had to leave to pick my son up from therapy.
3) After church today another homeless couple approached me in my driveway. The woman, who acknowledged her missing teeth when she asked me for money, wanted me to pay her husband or boyfriend to mow the lawn. I had mowed the lawn that morning before church. I politely excused myself from her request and took my son inside the house.
4) About 15 minutes after encounter number three my son and I left for lunch at McDonald's. While leaving the McDonald's parking lot we were approached by a homeless woman. She was hot and sunburned and carrying a lot of belongings. She asked for a ride. I told her that since she was a stranger and I had my six-year-old special needs son with me I did not feel safe giving her a ride. She said she understood and then asked me for money. I told her that I would not give her money.
For a long time my wife and I have had a policy of not giving money to homeless individuals. When you do you just have no control over how or what they will spend it on. The length of the encounter is usually so short that you have no sense of the character or integrity of the person asking or begging. I used to carry extra food in my car so that when I got approached by homeless people in downtown Sacramento, I could decline their request for money but offer them food instead. Only one time did the person take the food (a granola bar) I offered.
As the economy continues to collapse these interactions with homelessness are only going to increase. Heck, I am currently unemployed. There's no guarantee me and my family won't be joining their ranks soon. Stranger things have happened. In the meantime, I must be prepared for these more frequent and more aggressive and more invasive (two in my driveway!) encounters. I don't know what the safe and gracious thing to do is. But I do know that God is giving me many opportunities to work on crafting a compassionate response.
1) I brought my son home from behavioral therapy for his autism to find a homeless couple and their belongings on my front lawn. I argued with the homeless women about her smoking in my front yard and asked the couple to depart.
2) A homeless and intoxicated man approached me at a public park. I had gone there mid- afternoon to read my Bible and do my devotions in the shade trees. He was very polite. I declined to give him money, but he stayed and talked with me for 30 minutes. We talked about God and our wives and going through pain. He seemed like a decent enough man. But he obviously had an alcohol problem. We probably would have talked longer but I had to leave to pick my son up from therapy.
3) After church today another homeless couple approached me in my driveway. The woman, who acknowledged her missing teeth when she asked me for money, wanted me to pay her husband or boyfriend to mow the lawn. I had mowed the lawn that morning before church. I politely excused myself from her request and took my son inside the house.
4) About 15 minutes after encounter number three my son and I left for lunch at McDonald's. While leaving the McDonald's parking lot we were approached by a homeless woman. She was hot and sunburned and carrying a lot of belongings. She asked for a ride. I told her that since she was a stranger and I had my six-year-old special needs son with me I did not feel safe giving her a ride. She said she understood and then asked me for money. I told her that I would not give her money.
For a long time my wife and I have had a policy of not giving money to homeless individuals. When you do you just have no control over how or what they will spend it on. The length of the encounter is usually so short that you have no sense of the character or integrity of the person asking or begging. I used to carry extra food in my car so that when I got approached by homeless people in downtown Sacramento, I could decline their request for money but offer them food instead. Only one time did the person take the food (a granola bar) I offered.
As the economy continues to collapse these interactions with homelessness are only going to increase. Heck, I am currently unemployed. There's no guarantee me and my family won't be joining their ranks soon. Stranger things have happened. In the meantime, I must be prepared for these more frequent and more aggressive and more invasive (two in my driveway!) encounters. I don't know what the safe and gracious thing to do is. But I do know that God is giving me many opportunities to work on crafting a compassionate response.
APPLICATION:
The book of Proverbs in the Bible makes it very clear that God loves the poor. He reminds us over and over to provide for them, love on them, defend them. In the four encounters above, how well did I do? Not that great, I would surmise. I think example number two was my best response. I provided my time and interest to a man in need. Because of his apparent alcoholism, I did not choose to provide him with any money. In the other three examples, I am not sure if I honored God or not. Certainly, there are safety factors involved when you reach out to the poor and homeless. Nevertheless, we are called to do so. My wife frequently donates crocheted items to elderly and ill people in need. In doing so, she is honoring God by taking care of the downtrodden. For several months recently, our immediate family befriended a homeless young man who was living in his car in our neighborhood. We provided him with food, gas, money and even access to our home. What are some ways you can reach out to the poor and homeless today? Find a Christian charity that cares for the poor, such as Compassion International or the Salvation Army, and donate to them today. Do it today or you risk forgetting or changing your mind. It doesn’t have to be a large donation, just whatever you can give. God promises to reward you for what you have done.
This essay is from my book More Autism and Awesometism: Devotionals From and About a Special Needs Family.
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