i will know i've reached the next level as a disciple of Rabbi Jesus
when i get to the place where i'm ready to be homeless
joining the people i want to be a part of
how can i say the stuff i blog and talk about
when i'm unwilling to live with them
as them ..
am i fooling my self ?
or is it just that i'm a coward ..
' he that will have life must lose his life ' ..
' what is life?
you are but a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears '
' then he said to them all, “ if any of you wants to be my disciple, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and come, follow me
if you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it
what good is it if you gain the whole world but end up being lost or destroyed? " '
when i boil it down, how far am i willing to go with my master ?
If you live among them, how can you help them?
ReplyDeletegreat question. i've thought on that myself. my response is the better i know how they live and who they are the more i will understand how to help. i can't presume to know, or take the opinions of others, even those who minister to them, i feel i need to become intimate with their situations. also, my living among them doesn't necessarily translate into losing the ability to help - i can split my time/energy etc. however, the point i was making in the post is this: until i'm ready to do that, regardless of the reality of it, i'm not sure how committed i am.
DeleteAnd how does that prove commitment or not doing it invalidate commitment? What would be the motive? To prove something?
ReplyDeleteTruly living amongst them for real rather than with some ulterior motive means truly giving up all you have as well as your ties to civilization.....money.....begging food for K as well as yourself....no cell...no computer.....only the clothes on your back......permanently
ReplyDeleteAnother way of looking at this is.......are you implying that anyone who works with the homeless but doesn't live with them is not committed?
ReplyDeleteAnother question.,.,what does "how to help" mean? Become a political activist? Feed them? Build housing for them? Exactly what can one person do that you are not doing?
ReplyDeletere. your 8:26 comment - there are actually an increasing number of homeless who have jobs, both full-time and part-time; there are others who have pension income or some form of savings; many have a cell phone; some have laptops. point being, it doesn't necessitate absolute poverty. also, while i agree that i should be at the point where i'm ready to go in permanently, the reality is i need to come out to be able to serve. serving is the issue; i'm simply concerned about being able to serve them in the best way possible, and living as one of them will provide that knowledge
ReplyDeletere. your 8:31 comment - i definitely am not saying not living among the homeless is non-commitment; however, for ME it is, i think; it proves to me that i'm willing to go all the way; Jesus, after all, did exactly that when he incarnated, and i want to be him ...
ReplyDelete