They are broken, they are addicts, they are lonely, they are unloved and they are hopeless; they are the people who have showed me what it means to love, they are my homeless friends.
It has been said that, “All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance, just don’t tiptoe.” This past year God has dared me to step out of that which is considered safe and has challenged me to live out what He says. God has given me the opportunity to build relationships with some of the people who live on the streets of my city and I have learned more about Jesus though them than anywhere else.
When I first told people that I was going downtown to hang out with the homeless the initial reaction I got was, “don’t you realize that isn’t safe?” They were right. It’s not safe- but as a Christian I don’t know where we got the notion that we were supposed to live a life of safety. Jesus certainly didn’t call us to be safe but He called us to go, to love and to trust Him. In fact the more I come to know Jesus the more He dares me to risk. I have come to learn that the more I am willing to follow Jesus where ever He takes me, even if it is dangerous, radical, or seemingly impossible, the more I begin to taste the abundant life and I feel that is exactly wheat God has done through my experiences downtown.
I have come to know the hearts of those that live on the streets and I have heard their stories, and have seen their tears and I have seen the hope that Christ can bring. I know the truth behind what Jesus saying that He is among the poor and the brokenhearted. These beautiful people have inspired me and have showed me what love is. It may not be the most “safe” environment but beauty abounds and when I am among these people I can feel the closeness of Christ. I’ll never forget their stories it is through them that I have learned how much God’s heart aches for His people. At times the need seems so huge and I feel so inadequate to help but in the words of Mother Teresa, “we can do no great thing, only small things with great love.” I believe that reaching out to just one person is living out Jesus’ words when He says, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” I believe that Jesus is among the poor and the oppressed, I believe that it is in their eyes that we can see a glimpse of Jesus. It is through my homeless friends that the gospel has come alive and what a beautiful adventure it has been!
