It's been said that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Today, I find myself meditating on the meaning of that saying, particularly with regard to its relevance to the issue of homelessness.
If you're a Christian, you probably find yourself thinking from time to time about what heaven will be like. You may be one of those who bought Randy Alcorn's book "Heaven", or the more recent book "Heaven is For Real" by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent. You may be convinced by Colton Burpo's childhood story of having been taken to heaven (in the midst of a medical crisis where his father thought that he might die). Or you may have your own ideas about what heaven will be like.
You may even disbelieve in heaven, if you are not a Christian believer. But even if that's the case, I think that the chances are extremely good that your vision of what heaven is like, or might be like if only you could believe in heaven, does not include homeless shelters.
You may prefer to shut your eyes and pretend that homelessness isn't an issue, but wishful thinking will not make the problem go away. In fact, the more you try to ignore the problem, the more likely the problem is to persist.
According to the Bible, there will be no homeless shelters in heaven, for the simple reason that there will be no homeless people in need of such shelters. . According to John 14:2, Jesus is preparing "many mansions" for those who will destined to go to heaven. Who needs a shelter, when you have a mansion?
The Bible describes Christ as our "hope of glory". Heaven will indeed be glorious! But lest we forget, we're not there yet. Here on earth, poverty remains a big problem. Homelessness exists because poverty exists. Some personal problems (such as substance abuse) can increase the likelihood of becoming homeless, but the truth is that no one is immune. Not even Jesus, who was perfect, was immune to homelessness when he walked the earth. Speaking about Jesus, the Bible tells us the following in Luke 9:58:
"Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head."
In his song "You Did Not Have A Home", Christian singer Rich Mullins sang:
Birds have nests, foxes have dens
But the hope of the whole world rests
On the shoulders of a homeless man...
Compared with unbelievers, Christian churches and parachurch organizations have been relatively good about ministering to the needs of the poor, the homeless, and the down and out. Even so, I can't help but think that we believers aren't doing nearly as much as we ought to do. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven" says the Lord's prayer. To pray the God's will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven, is to hold extremely high standards (as we ought to do). It is sheer hypocrisy to pray that God's will be done here on earth, if one is not doing God's will here on earth!
God has has already done far more than any person could reasonably expect him to do, and he continues to do so. Now it's time for you to do your part. Prayer is good; but if that's all you are doing for the kingdom, then I say that it's time for you to get off you butt, and start doing! I call it the Prayer Plus Plan. Prayer plus meaningful action beats prayer alone almost every time. (The book of James affirms that such is the case.) There are occasional times when one can't really do much but pray, but such instances are surprisingly rare. We often have a lot more power than we realize, especially if we all join forces in pursuit of common goals. Time's a'wastin'; let's get crackin'.
Homeless people very rarely become homeless overnight. They become homeless, usually, after a prolonged period of begging fruitlessly for help. I wish that it were not so, but my personal experience as made me aware that the church is full of a lot of believers who are as dense as lead when it comes to understanding how much their own indifference to the material needs of others helps to contribute to the problem of homelessness.
A lot of folks would rather make excuses than get things done when those things need to be done. Instead of worrying about who gets the credit, we need to focus on helping people and giving God the glory.
I'm not saying that I don't appreciate those who contribute their finances and their volunteer hours (or professional services) to the homeless shelters in their communities. But what I am saying is that it doesn't even come close to what ought to be done. Even the best homeless shelters are stopgap measures at best. (The American Heritage Dictionary defines the phrase "stopgap measure" as "an improvised substitute for something lacking; a temporary expedient.")
We need a whole lot more than token gestures and stopgap measures. If a stopgap measure is "an improvised substute for something lacking," then what we ought to be asking ourselves is, "What is lacking? Why are we willing to settle for an improvised temporary substitute, when we should settle for nothing less than what we really need?
Maybe the reason we so often settle is that many of us have managed to delude themselves into thinking that we aren't at risk of homelessness. It's "not our problem", we think, so we tend to put it on the back burner of our priorities.
If you're ever lost a job, or experienced a natural disaster (such as the tornados and floods and hurricanes and earthquakes which have laid waste to numerous communities, just in this year alone), then you realize (if you are a thoughtful person) that you are vulnerable to homelessness, no matter how self-sufficient you may think you are. If it's not a natural disaster, or a medical emergency (such as the stroke I had in June, 2011), it's a corporate layoff or any number of other things which can cause one to be unable to stay paid up on one's mortgage or one's rent.
Homelessness is utterly incompatible with God's kingdom. If you call Jesus Lord, and you're content to turn a blind eye to the needs of the poor and the homeless, then you, my friend, are lying to yourself and (probably) to others.
God's kingdom begins here and now (on earth, as it is in heaven), in your own mind and heart and manner of responding to the needs with whom you are surrounded. You have a personal vested interest in doing all you can do to make a positive difference in the lives of the homeless or nearly homeless people in this world, because you are not nearly as invincible as you may think that you are. It isn't just a matter of doing the morally right thing. It's also a matter of enlightened self-interest.
Don't wait until you have been made aware that your next door neighbor is about to lose his or her home or apartment. If necessary, open up your home, in a display of true Christian hospitality. Jesus not only took a risk for you, he sacrificed it all. So stop worrying about how "risky" it is for you to care for others. A much bigger risk, my friends, is that you will stand before God on judgment day, when you will most assuredly have to answer for how you have treated the "least of these" in their moments or hours of need. In fact, that's not a risk so much as it is a certainty.
Supporting your local homeless shelter is admittedly better than nothing, but I want to encourage the readers of this blog post to take the next logical step. Stop passing the buck to the "professionals", and start becoming part of a real community of your own making. Use the brain and the resources God gave to you for a reason, and start working towards the goal of helping other people (and especially other Christians, if you are a believer) to truly prosper, so that they can likewise bless other people in your community (which, FYI, is now the entire world, but especially includes your nearest neighbors).
I understand that there are some people who are homeless as a result of unwise decisions they have made, particularly with regard to substance abuse, but that is not the entire story. Was Jesus addicted to alcohol or drugs? Was he guilty of any crime? On that contrary, there was no fault to be found in him. Yet, he was still homeless, according to the scriptures. So instead of playing the blame game, take ownership of your own actions. Show the same grace and mercy God has shown to you to other imperfect human beings. Be an instrument of hope and healing. Dispense with the self-righteousness, and choose instead to show some compassion and humility.
I myself am very limited in what I can do, in terms of material things, but what I can do, I pledge to do (with the resources of the ArtisticRescue Project, and my related project, the Chapel Network News), for as long as God gives me breath. Please partner with me in that effort of mine.
If one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, imagine what all of us can do when we add all of our little "onces" together into one massive pile.
