26 Dec Christmas Eve

by Rob Spaulding

This morning, Christmas Eve morning, while running the typical last-minute errands I spot a lady with a festively decorated bag following a man down a local heavily traveled road. She was walking briskly to catch him while he was shuffling quickly to remain out of her reach. I know him to be a homeless man who sleeps behind a local restaurant, bathes periodically in the men’s room of another, and spends his days avoiding people. The lady, who I don’t know, dressed in her bright green and glitter enhanced Christmas sweater was attempting to hand this gentleman a gift of some sort. He was having none of it. The pursuit continued. I drove on.

Between mid-November and Christmas, I speak with dozens of groups and individuals who are interested in helping the homeless during the holidays. And many follow through by volunteering at the shelter, holding food drives and assembling “care packages” to give directly to the homeless. To be honest, most of the people we serve, the homeless and very poor, love and appreciate these acts of generosity.

So why was the homeless man running from the green-sweater lady? Easy. Many people living on the street have developed a distrust for “do-gooders.” People who show up to help are often strangers who overwhelm them with good intentions, yet completely insensitive to basic human needs like privacy or confidentially. They snap their pictures and tell them to smile so the world can see how happy the donor has made them, while never so much as asking their name. This is often followed by “Look what I did today” displaying themselves standing next to “this homeless guy” with the awkward smile, all over social media.

If you want to make an impact on our neighbors living on the street, gifts, especially food, are fine. But what if you learn their name in the process and understand they rarely want you to take their pictures, especially without asking? What would happen if we take the time to hear their stories without judging? What would happen if we realize that helping “the least of these” wasn’t about us or our need for short-term social media praise but long term understanding that our small selfless gestures can actually change lives?

I know many many people who are loving and generous and have made life-long friendships with our homeless neighbors. Their impact is incredibly powerful and does in fact change lives. I am grateful for these partners in this mission.

As 2019 draws to a close, please consider developing a routine that engages a person living in poverty. Get to know someone in need, hold a food drive or donate clothing and household goods to a cause that serves the poor. And of course, we’d love to have you join The Christian Center by volunteering at the shelter or in our Community Dining Room preparing or serving meals. If you’re interested, call Billie at 765-649-4264 Ext. 0 and she’ll get you set up to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.

Thanks for all you do. God bless you and Merry Christmas!

Rob Spaulding, Christian Center Director