Homelessness Hits Home

A homeless man sleeping under my guest room window

Permit me today to process a confusing situation as I share it with you.  Since I by no means have the answer to this dilemma, I welcome your feedback and comments. You can use the comment section, or email me directly.

Today, as I left the house to meet Michelle at Mari’s for breakfast, I encountered a new experience—a man sleeping outside my house.  As I stood locking the front gate, I wondered how I should respond.  Often  these men who sleep the streets are sleeping off what they have drunk the night before, yet they have no where to go but the streets.  I stood wondering, “What would Jesus do?”

And I have to admit that I couldn’t find an easy answer to that.  Jesus did not, from what I read in Scripture, heal EVERY crippled or ill person He encountered.  He did not feed EVERYONE who was hungry.  He didn’t provide the wine for EVERY meal.  So how did He know when to do these things? And how do I know when to help?

I came up with two answers, First, He was so in touch with the Father and Holy Spirit that He simply KNEW when to act and when not to.  The second answer is more profound, but also perhaps more tricky.  I believe He worked miracles to show the glory of God. (John 9:3)

So how do I apply this to my situation? 

First, is God telling me to help the person before me?  My goal is to love each person God brings me.  Loving best does not always mean helping materially.  Is responding to a particular need the most loving thing to do for that person? 

I need to ask God, listen for HIS answer, and not listen to my emotions.  I have a missionary friend, Daryl Fulp, who often says, “Intelligence without compassion is deadly.  So is compassion without intelligence.”  The intelligence I seek is the wisdom that comes from hearing God.  So I must stay in touch with His voice, know how to recognize this.  I can only do this through intimate time spent with Him daily, not just fly-by prayers when I need direction. 

In this situation, I really believe my emotion at finding a man outside my own door, over-road any direction from God.  Usually, when God leads me to help, it is hard to think of a good reason not to, His call is so strong.

Secondly, would this act of compassion bring glory to God, or make me feel better?  It’s not about making myself feel generous and righteous—it’s about glorifying God.  I know Jesus tells us to feed Him in the poor (Matt. 25: 31-45), but I don’t think this implies every time we encounter someone in need.  It would seem to imply only that we do these things in His name.  How would putting a sandwich and bottle of water next to a sleeping man bring God glory?  Honestly, I think it would only make me feel better about all I have, and how I use what I have to help others. 

This is a tricky part of ministry.  Often, when I help in my own name, I feel “relief” and even pride—”See, God, how I am helping you with Your work on earth.” When I help as God leads, I feel peace and a sense of satisfaction. "Thank you, Father, for letting me be a part of what you are doing here on earth.”  I strive for the latter, but fear too often I fall into the former.  I concluded that this might bring glory to me, but probably not God except if I act in obedience to His direction.

(I did think briefly about putting together water bottles with the gospel message [like those offered by Thirst No More ministries in the States], but then realized that almost all street people here are illiterate.  Besides, how much impact would just a static label have? I think the biggest impact of the Thirst No More water is that when it is personally given to someone.  I am gonna chew on this idea a little more in the future, though.  Maybe this could be done in coordination with the feeding program for the homeless either in our church at Christmas or the on-going program at the dump.)

I also thought of other Scriptures in which we are told repeatedly to care for widows and orphans. (This is how I have come to handle the many street beggars—I give to the older women who really do have no other way to support themselves.)

But my final realization as I pondered this was that God has not called me to Guatemala to feed every poor person I meet.  I may do this, but in conjunction with God’s call to me to work with the disabled, or perhaps in coordination with another ministry with which I collaborate.  I have been repeated admonished by more experienced missionaries of the need to stay focused on what God has called us to do, rather than doing shot-gun ministry to every need that comes along.  Failure to do this will leave us depleted, both monetarily and personally.

So, could I just walk away in indifference?  As a Christ-follower, I believe in the power of prayer to impact lives.  So, as this man lay sleeping on the sidewalk, I stopped and prayed for him.  And the more I prayed, the more I was convicted that THIS was why God brought this man to my door.  So I will continue to pray, and maybe, one day, perhaps in heaven, God will show me the result of my prayer.