During a time of prayer and worship early one morning a few years ago, God spoke to my heart about being a good steward of what He has given me, and making myself available to Him to minister to others that have shared a similar path in life than my own.
It was during those wee hours just before dawn on November 25, 2008 that 'God's Garage' took up its name in our hearts, our home, and as we have watched God do so much through such a small group of people, I am reminded of what Jesus was able to do with just a handful of misfit fisherman, and I gain a renewed hope.
Unsure of what to really do at the time, and without much idea of what was to come, I was reminded of the times in my life when I was homeless, and the grief that I carried around on me like concrete baggage, and I felt that would be a great place to start, especially considering it was a subject that I was all too familiar with, and an ongoing facet of our society.
Not all of those who are homeless are there because of drugs, although drugs do often play a hand in situations, they did in mine, but one cannot judge the homeless population based on speculation. It's going to take people rediscovering other people in a more personal way than just a text message once in a while, or a status update on any of the social websites that people use, and seeing one another for the unique creatures that God has designed us to be. This will require that we begin to see each other with the eyes of Jesus. Especially if we ever hope to be His hands and feet.
So, with that being said, let me return to the story that plays out in our streets here in this small beach community where we live, and begin to assess what is needed to get some of our guys off of the streets who choose to come off.
One thing that we never do is to assume that our homeless friends are not happy or content with their situation, and we certainly do not want anyone to feel that they are looked down upon, for as I said before, I have spent a portion of my own life in the streets, in fact, a greater portion than I have spent otherwise, and the last thing I want to do is prevent someone else from experiencing the creation that God made for us.
I came to this area almost 10 years ago now. Homeless. Addicted. Angry. Volatile at best, and the last thing that I had on my mind was getting my life together, never guessing that God had drawn me here to get my attention, to bless me, and to teach me to give back.
I wish that I could say that I knew our entire homeless population here, but I don't. And part of that being because they remain so well hidden, and some of them battle guilt or shame, and then there are those, like I was, that choose to remain unsociable, on the fringes of the world, in a world of their own, safe in their pain. I was, or so I thought.
We have had the joy of getting to know a couple of our nomadic friends over the last 3 years, and even though there are more, we have chosen to look full into the reason that God has given us the opportunity to show these 2 love. To investigate the ways that God uses our relationships to teach us love, unity, and justice, in such a way that draws us closer together, and teaches us how to live a life fully experiencing the joys of God.
For the last several years we have held small group Bible studies and discussions in our home, 'God's Garage', and it is just in recent times that we have seen God move in such a HUGE way in the heart of one of our friends. He has asked Jesus to walk with him, and to deliver him from the temptations that a life of alcohol addiction can throw at you, and to be the LORD of his life. And I am happy to say that we are now celebrating 30+ days of sobriety for our friend, and it is in these small ways that we see God do His biggest work.
The church has got to be organic. It has to be alive, and functioning as the Body, and the time is far overdue that Christians take a hard look at themselves, and ask God to do the same, revealing character defects in us that stand in the way of our becoming more like Jesus. This will take some hard work by all who hope to see a change, and it will take some painful endurance as we assess ourselves, and ask God to help us get to the root of those weeds growing in our hearts, and to make room for the new growth that He has for us.
Jesus summed it up for us in Matthew 22:37-40 when He told us that the most important thing we could do is love. What does this look like in your life today? Who will you share it with, and who will you keep it from?
Until we have a change of heart, and begin to realize that we are really so small in the scheme of God's overall picture. And we have become too big for our breeches, and it's time for a change. To be the change.
If you think that one life can't make a difference, then just remember what God has already done in you, and ask Him to show you how to live for Him. But then, be willing to live for Him even when it gets hard, or unpopular. Love people when it's no fun. Laugh with them when they laugh, and cry with them when they cry. Take a moment today in your travels, and look into the eyes of a stranger, and see what you may find.
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