"Last summer, my youth group and I were approached by a homeless woman panhandling for money. This incident deeply divided the group on how we as Christians should respond. Half felt she was clearly in need, asking for financial help and we should give it to her. The other half of the group did not view it this way and felt giving her money could further perpetuate her problems and would not be helpful to her at all.
In preparing for and embarking on our TOOLS weekend, the great debate once again rose to the surface. TOOLS was a great experience in that we learned about our own prejudices and misconceptions about the homeless. The truth was, we didn’t know this woman’s story, and we knew absolutely nothing about her at all…how could we respond properly?
We also learned there are many practical ways in which we can help such as volunteering at and/or donating to local shelters and food banks. On our street walk we learned about what complex issues homelessness and poverty are. From individual bad choices and unforeseen circumstances to ineffective government polices, this is clearly not an easy problem to solve, and one that is not going away anytime soon.
Most importantly, we learned that we are called to follow the example of Jesus, and to love one another. This means taking the time to get educated on how some of the decisions we and our leaders make affect not only us, but those around us. This means looking for creative practical ways to help. This means taking the time to learn who these people are, to hear their story. Then and only then can we properly respond with love and compassion."
Great post! Well said, Susanne, well said.
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