Last week I was driving downtown and I saw a familiar face in a parking lot. I pulled over and spent some time with Lowell.
He has been homeless for fifteen years and admits that depression and addiction brought him to the streets. Lowell is a writer and has his prose poetry printed in national publications, the local Streetzine and is working on a book.
A few days later Lowell contacted me at night so I drove downtown and picked him up in the pouring rain. We grabbed dinner and over a cup of coffee we discussed our similar struggles. We both suffer from depression and addiction and we both want to look more like Christ. How can we hold our convictions if we don’t have each other to be held accountable?
As a believer in Christ who struggles to live in a sinful world, I admit that I need people. I need strong friends to hold me up and to hold me to a standard. So many of my homeless friends need the same. We need each other because there is no recovery in solitude. We need Christ and we need his followers to run with us, hold us up and cheer during the race.
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What is your calling?
When I see a homeless person, I sincerely say to myself, “There, but for the Grace of God, go I. Depression, mental illness, addictions, physical illness, financial woes run deep in my family’s history and had it not been for the faithful prayers and help of friends, church members, healthy family, and outreach programs throughout the years, I truly might be where many are today. I currently have an Aunt who I fear is homeless somewhere by choice due to mental illness. We haven’t heard from her for a while and no one seems to know where she is. Lots of family fear and shame goes into homelessness as well as the bad economy and other woes. I would love to start helping others have hope the way others have helped me and my family (near and distant). I praise God for your ministry and would love to be a part of it. Tell me more.