Last night I slept in a home made out of cardboard on the side of the road to raise awareness for homelessness. It was a very impactful night. Pastor Andy Odle from Church on the Street gave a great message, and some people who have experienced homelessness first hand gave testimonials of their experience.
I learned a lot about the stereotypes placed on the homeless....It's common for us to just judge and stereotype them based on the simple fact that they are homeless. We often have the viewpoint that they deserve to have that consequence because they are all just "crackheads" or "bums" who won't work. It's true that a lot of homeless are in their situations due to poor choices, but it's also true that some just have no control over the situation they ended up in...Regardless, we are called to love them and to show them that love as followers of Christ. God tells us that whatever we do for the least of these we do for Him. If someone doesn't know the love of Christ, isn't it our job to show it to them? If we don't, how will they ever know? Sometimes what those people really need is for someone to walk with them in their struggles and understand instead of passing quick judgement. Do you know what it's like to have such an unpredictable life that you don't know where you will be or what you will have from day to day? None of us do. We lead lives of stability. Even after spending the night in the cold in homes made of cardboard, we all knew that we were going to go back to a safe warm bed the next morning. What if we didn't have that sense of stability? Some are homeless, but everyone is a child of God..brothers and sisters in Christ...needed, searching, worthy, capable, neighbors, humbled, broken...beautiful.We are all just human.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:34-40
