In To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee reminds us that life is unfair, and it's often unfair because of the way ordinary citizens treat one another. At times, even our legal system fails to execute justice. Good behavior isn't always rewarded. Bad behavior isn't always punished. Half the people don't notice, while the other half pretends to not notice.
What a mess.
Given that, we're wise to exercise caution when tempted to judge the homeless. We have no idea what they've been through, what injustices they've suffered or are suffering. The stereotypes come quickly to mind--bum, addict, mentally ill, slow, crook, etc. But here's the thing: No matter how much you know, or think you know, about a particular homeless person's life, you don't--and never will--know everything. No matter what you see with your eyes, save room for the possibility that his suffering is not his own fault. And even if it were, assigning blame does nothing to alleviate the situation.
Recently, a friend I'll call Delbert asked me a familiar question: What's it like to work with the homeless? I answered that it's a lot like working with anybody else. Delbert frowned. I think he wanted a more interesting answer. But what can I say? People are people. The second question he asked was also familiar: How did they end up homeless?
Me: [Looking at my watch.] There's not enough time.
Delbert: Huh?
Me: Everyone's story is different.
Delbert: [Scratching his head.] Just tell me the basics then, like maybe they were hooked on drugs or they robbed a bank or were lazy and got fired or...
Me: [Cutting him off with a wave.] People often want to blame the homeless for being homeless, so first thing they think up is a list like yours. I understand--you're hoping that being homeless is something you can insure against. To a degree, of course, there are things we can do to protect ourselves from financial and social calamity. Those things are pretty basic and obvious and I don't need to tell you what they are. But there's only so much we can control and there are no guarantees. Just think of Job. At any rate, those are all plausible explanations, but the stories I've heard have lots of subplots, they're rarely so clear cut.
Delbert: Mentally ill, then?
Me: Aren't we all?
Delbert: No, I mean seriously mentally ill. Like diagnosable. Or alcoholic. I bet there are a lot of alcoholics on the street.
Me: Chicken or egg--which came first?
Delbert: [Ignoring my question.] Maybe they didn't finish school for some reason. They dropped out.
Me: Maybe they got sick or something and had to drop out. That happens.
Delbert: [With a laugh.] Or maybe their school lost all its funding and the education was lousy and they couldn't get into college or find a job!
Me: That's not funny.
Delbert: No, you're right. Hmm... I know! Maybe when the economy went south they got laid off and later lost their health insurance because they couldn't afford the premiums. And then someone in the family got seriously ill and the medical bills piled up and the next thing you know they were bankrupt and living on the streets, or in their minivan.
Me: I've heard stories like that.
Delbert: Or some guy beat his wife so she went underground to hide, taking the kids with her. Or a teenager ran away from home because her parents were always fighting.
Me: You're on a roll.
Delbert: Or some dumb politician made it easier for a company to take its jobs to another state, or overseas...
Me: [Nodding.] Keep going, Delbert. You're doing great.
My whole point, of course, was to get Delbert to think about the homeless in the context of a local and even global community. A homeless individual is a sign of a weak community. None of us lives in a vacuum. There is a constant interplay between individual and community weaknesses and failings that results in people living on the streets. And it's going to take individual and community effort to relieve the situation.
To be honest, most of us here at Bethel don't need to know the exact reason so-and-so wound up living on the streets. There are folks working in the Homeless Support Services office like Mark Wilson and Barb Kepler who do need to know, and they can be trusted to triage and discretely direct folks to the appropriate resources. Pastor Sarah, in her spiritual counseling role, and Nancy Young, in her counseling role, also need to know. But for the rest of us, for the work we are called to do, the reason a man is homeless should be irrelevant until we've earned his trust, become his friend, and heard his story in his own time and in his own words.
Meantime, the one thing the homeless desperately need is to be surrounded by a healthy and caring community. For some of them--and I'm not exaggerating--Bethel is the only family they've ever known, or at least the only one they have now. Of all the things Bethel provides, I believe this to be the most crucial.
My friend Delbert, like every other Bethel member, can play an important role in Bethel's homeless ministries. Here's how: Next time you see a homeless person waiting in line for coffee on a Sunday morning, or sliding into the pew next to you, don't worry about how he ended up homeless. Just be kind. You're not responsible for fixing all of his problems, and you're not being asked to judge (whew!). If, someday down the road, the two of you wind up friends, he may want to tell you his story. In that case, congratulations. You're earned his trust and that's awesome. But at that exact moment when you are first standing in line together in the Fireside Gallery, or seated next to one another in the Sanctuary, the reason he is homeless is irrelevant, or should be. At that exact moment, what he needs is a welcoming smile and a cheery hello.
My friend Delbert, like every other Bethel member, can play an important role in Bethel's homeless ministries. Here's how: Next time you see a homeless person waiting in line for coffee on a Sunday morning, or sliding into the pew next to you, don't worry about how he ended up homeless. Just be kind. You're not responsible for fixing all of his problems, and you're not being asked to judge (whew!). If, someday down the road, the two of you wind up friends, he may want to tell you his story. In that case, congratulations. You're earned his trust and that's awesome. But at that exact moment when you are first standing in line together in the Fireside Gallery, or seated next to one another in the Sanctuary, the reason he is homeless is irrelevant, or should be. At that exact moment, what he needs is a welcoming smile and a cheery hello.
To Kill a Mockingbird is beautifully written and one of the best selling books of all time. Set in the 1930's, it's a story about one segment of society oppressing another. Unfortunately, more than 80 years later, this sort of thing still goes on. We can help change that.
All it takes is all of us.
WHO:
Phyllis, Chloi, T.J., Kevin, Mike, Jim, Ray, Jay, Joe, Roman, Will, Alice, Angelica, Jack, Linda, Suzanne, Tom, Kelly, Mark, Jeremy, C.E., Pastor Sarah, Chris, R.J., and Torque.
SCHEDULE:
We meet next Tuesday at 8AM in the Fireside Gallery to watch To Kill a Mockingbird. We will be handing out copies of our next book, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré.
See you then!
