“He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?”
— Micah 6: 8
Your thought for the day is: Is homelessness in a nation that purports to be one nation under God acceptable to God?
Since 2006, America has seen a 67 percent increase in the number of homeless children. We’ve reached a point where 2.5 million children under age 18 are without a permanent roof over their heads–far more than ever before.
Such unacceptable social ills have somehow become acceptable in a country where there is no shortage of citizens who identify as Christians.
We are good at deluding ourselves into thinking that we as Christians are Christian enough if we believe in God and if we do good for needy folks come Thanksgiving and Christmas.
(Isn’t it strange how our good American hearts feel so strangely warmed during the holidays, when we’re suddenly motivated to love the poor and homeless and do something for them in that brief season.)
Whatever we are doing in terms of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those who are sick and in prison–whatever we are doing to call out social injustice and build a more just society–we are clearly not doing what God requires of us, either as individual Christians or as a nation.
The statistics on homeless children alone are evidence enough of how short we’ve fallen in the God’s all-seeing eyes.
Lord,
Open our eyes to the plight that you see as unacceptable.
Open our ears to the cries of those suffering the endless pressures and indignities of homelessness.
Help us to be mindful of your requirements to do justice as well as to love kindness and walk humbly.
Help us to be cheerful givers and doers as well as speakers of your word.
Amen
You are absolutely correct. We give when we can at school, church, homeless on the street but it just isn’t enough. I feel very sorry for these children and their parents. Times are difficult for so many Americans. My grandmother always visited the sick on Sundays and brought flowers or a small gift. We could all do more if we feel called. We can pray that the next administrations goal might be to help the homeless find employment so they can feed and cloth their loved ones. You are fantastic writer with such a kind heart. Jackie
Thanks, Jackie.
There should never be children in the US without a safe place to stay. But are we talking about children who are now in shelters, or children who are living on the streets? If they’re on the streets, there needs to be a place for them, and there could well be a place for them. Most cities of any size have places for homeless, although children and some adults may not be aware of available resources.
If they’re in shelters isn’t this part of what doing good is about? Our duty doesn’t end when we find the homeless a place in a shelter, but we’ve come a long way over the decades in terms of helping those in need. Unfortunately, though, we as a society seem to have largely washed our hands of the less fortunate, instead relegating their care to the government.
Still, it’s important to determine what the problem is. If you’re looking at homelessness among children since 2007, that period includes the Great Recession, when there was a sharp spike in foreclosures, unemployment and economic difficulties. If, as a nation, we were able to help the increased number of homeless children and adults find a place in a shelter, that’s a creditable accomplishment. If an increasing number of children have been without any place to stay since 2007, then that’s an alarming point.
Unfortunately, the uncertainty of life will mean there will likely always be a percentage of any society’s population who are undergoing hard times. The goal should be to create a system that can quickly respond to those in need and provide them with the assistance they require. And this is something that government alone can do. It takes people who see what’s going on in communities who can react quickly to people in need.