1/23/2012

Ok, so this is to continue from Part 1 posted on 1/20/2012.

As i stated then, Homelessness…. they are Men, Women, Elderly, Teens, Disabled and Children, even Newborns.  Maybe they are You.

I believe we have made the issue of homelessness all way to extensively complicated.

You can Fight Homelessness, but we will never end homelessness completely.  Even in the Bible, God states there “will always be poor in the land”.

There are many that die on the streets each year, and i would never want to see or be someone who dies on the streets, as that can be very lonely.  However, many people die each year all over the globe for many reasons including, disease, murder, accidents and self inflicted harm.  Many of those also die very lonely or in just as ugly situations.  In other words, i am trying to say, homelessness doesn’t own the monopoly on sadness when it comes to death.   Death is death.  Caused by satan.  Period.  It’s bad yes, but so are all the other deaths.  Either way we miss someone.  Their energy leaves our presence.

People who are homeless are exactly like you and i.  Yes, yes they are.  Many things cause it.  It can happen in a blink of the eye.  They were once our family members or neighbors.  They simply did not appear out of nowhere.  Bad or unfortunate things happened of which they could not handle or had no options/means to handle.  They, for the most part want what you and i want.  They have desires and needs, just like anyone else.  The problem is, as we all know, our desires and needs are exactly what gets us into trouble or bad situations many many times.  satan never wants any of us to succeed.  Ever.  Not even for one moment of time if he can help it.

Why am i doing all this Bible and satan and God talk?  As i said in Part 1, most of us nonprofit outreach organizations who help the homeless, have some sort of, some level of Spirituality.  So, please bear with me.

I myself, have been pretty proud of the fact for a long time that i help the homeless.  Pride.  However,  I have always known it is Jesus that i have been directed by, given the power and protection by and doing the work for.  His Father Jehovah God is the one that allows Jesus to let me do the work.  I consider it a grand privilege.  But still i have felt the pride.  It is a normal human emotion and reaction, although not always a positive one.  It can harm us also.

With that said, there are a number of times where we will find that someone homeless simply does not want our help.  In addition, there are times when we simply are unable to help someone homeless for any number of reasons.  This goes for any and all, every single other organization in the world.  No-one can help everyone and not everyone wants our help.

The reasons for this are very simple.  One example is this:  Someone homeless, been homeless for over 3 months….doesn’t sound long to you does it?  In street time, it is.  3 months is a long time to go without a shower or laundering your clothes for example.  The person starts to breakdown and give up.  Someone like me comes along and says …. “What can i do to help you?”  The person says….  ”I need work, I need a job.”  I state, ok, well lets get you a shower and some clean clothes, maybe a haircut and we can start looking for work for you.  We will even help you find and get to the places to apply for work.   The homeless Friend In Need, says…  ” Oh no, you don’t need to do that, so and so is going to take me”  or they will say….  ” I have a few in mind that i will be taking the bus to”.  What happens is they never go, and they stay trapped on the streets.  WHY?  because they are like you and i.  They are people.   Their PRIDE just got in the way, because their desires and needs, their Pride, tells them they want to be able to do it themselves.  The problem is, it is difficult to find a place where, when you are homeless, you can take a nice warm Private shower.  Yes, private shower.  And a place to get ready to get yourself psyched up to go apply for jobs.  You know exactly what i am talking about. This is just simply one teenie tiny scenario.  I could go on and on.

This brings me to my next and perhaps biggest point of all.   These, the ones we as outreach or assistance organizations world wide end up not being able to “reach” or help for whatever reason……… These are taken care of by God.  Literally.   They are HIS.  The poor, the homeless, are special to Jehovah God’s heart.

To take this further, there are those out on the streets who have been there for 20-30 years or more, living in the brush, etc.  Out in the open, under the stars, literally.  They, they are Jehovah God’s also.   They are not for us to help.  Meaning take off the streets.  Put them in housing.  Oh, sure, you, we, anyone can feed them etc, if they are in need that is, but if not, God  is with them and makes sure they are taken care of.  Literally.  Just ask some of them.  You will see, in fact you will see God there with them and maybe even hear HIM, GOD tell you to “back off”, “this one is mine, I got this.”  And trust me, you will listen.

So, bottom-line, what i am saying and if you really think about it is…..  When someone goes homeless and literally ends up in the streets.  They are for the most part taken care of, if not at the very minimal least, by God.  No, i myself would not want to be homeless again even for one day, but HE makes sure they get what they need, maybe not what they want, but what they need for the most part.   Someone (individual)  or some organization even like ours will find them or they will find us, or maybe they will find you, and they will receive some assistance.  God states… “Help the poor freely”.  He didn’t say, go make huge organizations to help the poor and complicate the heck out of helping my Sheep!  Lavish houses are purchased and provided to the executives who run some orgs, new office furniture is purchased or donated and on and on.  Complicates the process.  Raises the need for more money, more funds.  Less “help” to those in need, less focus on those in need.

Then, we add to that the government programs and funds of which there is major competition for.   Competition…..yeah, that sounds like something God would want.  Accounting principles, Tax deductions, processes for the paperwork and setting up of the programs in order to get the funds coming down the pike.  Special ways and requirements of how to do things and how not to do things.  This regulation and “policy” and that regulation and “policy”.  What happens when those funds run out or get cut off?  The assistance level suffers to those in need.  Complicated.  Complicated.  Where is the “focus” now?  On those in need?  Do you really think so?   Complicated, way too complicated.

You hear that?  Do you?  Can you hear it?    It is satan laughing!   Does that disgust you?  I hope so, because it is detestable to God and disgusts HIM also.  Personally, i wont tolerate it anymore.  The reason for this particular blog series.

Meanwhile, we have taught, the “process” of assistance, has taught the homeless, that if you go here or there, or put a sign up for help to this person or that person you will get what you need for free.  Free Free Free.  THEN, when funds run out what happens.  The free isn’t there anymore, organizations close, or it (the free) is at the least, more scarce and harder to find.  More now are lost and more now will not know what to do.  Fear sets in.  More depression, more lack of confidence….deeper ….much much deeper into not homelessness but rather LIFELESSNESS…..Complicated.  satan laughs.

Exactly the way satan wants it.  Literally.

There is a great deal to say about this and so i will let you digest this Part 2 for now and i will continue in a day or two on Part 3.  I will leave you with a thought.

When Jesus was on Earth, He didn’t always have a place to lay His head and neither did His Apostles always.  They went from “place to place.”   Adam and Eve lived where?  In the Garden.  Outside.  God provided.

Until next time…… :-))!

Lance Greene/Founder