Imagine you are driving along, and you see a car ahead of you swerve, then flip over and land in the ditch. What would you do? Most people would immediately call 9-1-1 and carefully report the incident. Many people would stop and provide assistance. A few people would avoid the scene, look the other way, and perhaps say a prayer and do nothing. Some might curse the driver while suggesting they were probably drunk or high or texting – they deserved to run off the road! How about you?
Does this remind you of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan?[1] Even those who don’t consider themselves Christians would see the need to stop and lend assistance. After all, one day, that might be me in the ditch!
Of the hundreds of people who move in and out of homelessness, the “Car Wreck” analogy hits home because their experience was both traumatic and life-changing. Our response should be one of urgency. We should be calling the equivalent of 9-1-1 to rush to the aid of someone experiencing homelessness. Sadly, most of the time, that is not the case. What we hear most of the time is definitely critical.
- “Those people should just get a job!”
- “You reap what you sow”
- “They are all addicts”
- “They’re all mental health cases, beyond help”
Instead of climbing down into the ditch and offering immediate assistance, we typically see pointed fingers and judgmental looks. Why would people think this way? How can we be so hard-hearted? We can point our own fingers at social media, movies about the homeless, inhumane conditions in huge metropolitan areas, and other examples where those who seem to be perpetuating criminal activity are those who are unhoused. That kind of thinking is the easy way out. It doesn’t require any commitment to solving the issues surrounding homelessness. As long as we regard those people as something other than our brothers and sisters, it’s easy to judge and move on.
This devotional is meant to change that reaction by looking at people through God’s eyes in an effort to soften the hearts of all people—especially those who call themselves Christ-followers.
All are created in the image of God[2]
Whether we like it or not, we are all related. We have a responsibility to care for one another. Jesus speaks to his disciples in one of the most intimate settings recorded in the Bible. Just after he washes the feet of all twelve of his disciples, the ones he called himself, his betrayer is revealed and dismissed. Imagine what they were feeling at that moment. One that was with them on the ministry trail for months, one of their own, was identified and quickly removed from the upper room. The air must have been heavy. Jesus uses this moment to explain how he is about to leave them. The next thing he tells them is this:
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:34-35
Love one another. Some are more difficult to love than others, but Jesus didn’t give us an escape clause. Neither did he suggest it would be easy. In the most famous sermon ever preached, Jesus told us to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”[3] The bar is not lowered to the least common denominator. Just the opposite. We have a responsibility to love everyone.
As you dive into the subject of homelessness, it’s helpful to consider some additional context. To begin with, it’s important to approach the subject with a humble heart. Dr. Greg Wiens provides some incredible insight in the section Walking in the Wilderness. Leigh Huckins leverages her years of experience in writing the section, Substance Use Disorder and Homelessness – Does One Cause the Other? Do We Treat Together? She explains that we need to recognize that substance use disorder is just one of the many factors that can lead to someone becoming homeless or unstably housed. Vicki Redding contributed a section on Mental Illness and Homelessness to help us all begin to see mental illness as an ailment that needs our empathy more than judgment. Vicki’s decades of experience in this field should help us all as we approach those suffering from mental illnesses. Finally, I’ve also added a section to remind us that Homelessness is a Housing Issue to support the argument for affordable housing for lifetime low-income earners. My hope is that this section will give us some new language to have more dialogue concerning homelessness and housing. Each of these sections is worthy of its own publication. They are intentionally brief here to begin the conversation while not taking away from the devotions.
At this point, you’re probably ready to toss this book in the trash or at least put it down. How can we possibly live up to Jesus’ standards? How can we love so recklessly? “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”[4]
Let me challenge you to invest 10 to 15 minutes a day for 40 days as you read through short passages of scripture along with encouraging words from 40 different people representing a wide variety of viewpoints. Within the pages here, you will meet those who have personal experience with homelessness, some who were homeless when they wrote their devotion, and some who have never worried about their own housing or where their next meal would come from. In short, you’ll read from a broad group of people in an effort to answer the question: Why should we care for those experiencing homelessness?
In addition to the devotion, each author will give you a very brief synopsis of who they are and why they wanted to contribute to this effort. We also gave you room to write some notes beside each entry.
It’s my prayer that your eyes will be opened to see that we are in this life together and that God has arranged every interaction with great intentionality. In the end, I hope your heart will soften for those experiencing homelessness and that you will look for ways to be the 9-1-1 when you see the tragedy unfold.
[1] Luke 10:30-37, 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
[2] Genesis 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
[3] Matthew 5:44-45
[4] Matthew 19:26
