This week I am pondering the many tales of brokenness I listened to in Riverside.. I spent time at the singles homeless shelter with the medical outreach team on Tuesday. And Friday, I road along with the Riverside Street Team with my friend, Sonya, from Cal Pres. The Street Team works for the city and they drive around trying to help the homeless... they are some of the most gracious, yet firm folks, that I have met.. they provide tough love!
Anyway, I listened to a lot of homeless stories.. some twisted tales of hurt, health and abuse.. and others, just crazy human choice messes. The guys who have checked out from a broken heart are hard to take... divorced & abandoned by their families, they seem to have frozen hearts... Yet, then again, I have wailed tears over the young ones who grew up in foster care and have never ever experienced unconditional love...
It is hard to understand why the church is so complacent about these people.. many of the homeless exist in our culture like people exist in indigenous cultures... the kids grow up without love & the beauty of God's gracious life boundaries.. that creates a huge "marred identity"..
When are we each going to start really doing something about this injustice?...People label me with a passion for these folks; however, I just cannot ignore the 2000 verses in scripture relating to how we relate to the poor.. Justice to the poor is not a program ..it is not betterment.. It can only be healed with relationship.. that connection with Christ; and between neighbors... the poverty of the resourced with the poverty of the under-resourced...the God-connection with flesh on, in community.. it is a choice, if we choose it and do no longer ignore it...
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