“The Homeless”

Matthew 8:20 – And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Visit any city and you’re sure to see a “homeless” person or two. They’re usually not all that hard to spot because of the way they dress and the way they tend to carry all their belongings with them. Like many others, perhaps you feel a certain uneasiness and disdain when you approach one of them on a sidewalk or in a park. And I’ll have to admit that I’m just as guilty as the next person when it comes to feeling most homeless people probably “brought it upon themselves”.

In many cases, that’s true. Poor lifestyle choices certainly play a major role in putting many people “out on the street”. But there are others who end up there due to one or more circumstances over which they have little or no control. Each and every one of us has ups and downs in our lives, and for some the lows are low enough to cause them to lose their homes for whatever reasons, especially when they have no family members or friends who are able and willing to help them out of a tough spot.

I believe that most of us have gone through times what would have put us out on the streets had it not been for the kindness of others, so whenever I see a homeless person I try not to automatically assume that he/she “deserves” to be in that situation. We were all created by God, and Jesus died for the sins of every man, woman and child, even those who live a life that the rest of us find horrible and disturbing. His love knows no bounds, and it certainly isn’t up to us to judge how or why someone might have ended up in dire straits.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those folks whose heart bleeds for every homeless person I encounter or who goes about on a crusade to “end homelessness”. Human nature being what it is, there will always be people living on the street, and many of them will indeed end up there as a result of their own poor choices. All I’m saying is we should leave the judging to God and not automatically assume that every homeless person is a bad person.

Bad things really do happen to good people, and it’s only by the grace of God that I’m not homeless myself. Besides, it might be wise to remember that Jesus Himself was “homeless” when He walked upon the earth.