Renee talks to God, “You know God, this isn't what I expected! You prepare my heart to receive a message and passion about becoming a voice for the homeless in our area, years of preparation for this moment, but this isn't how it was supposed to go.

There is this public outcry and banter about panhandlers in our area and what to do about them. So, you give me the passion to come up with the idea to go to the center of activity on the corner where “protestors” of panhandlers are. I am not to protest the protestors, just their message. OK, God. I get that. It pains me to have the words panhandler, vagrant, and addicted people on the same sign. It creates a stereotype of what a homeless person is, a vagrant drunk on the corner begging for money for their addiction. After all the amazing homeless people I have come to meet and hear their stories, I feel like I have been prepared for such a time as this. I, we, Christians, it is time to be the voice of the homeless. It is time to show support for the homeless and speak truth.

But, God, we have a problem here. I sent that email to friends and Christians in particular to meet on the corner to show our support of the homeless in our community, only no one else showed up but the people who are “against” the panhandlers. I envisioned a mass of Christians on the corner, joined together to be the voice of love and compassion to support the homeless.

Why isn’t anyone else here, God?”

God replies, “Renee, I called you… Just because I called you, doesn’t mean I called anyone else to stand with you. It’s not about you inspiring courage to raise up and gather Christian warriors to fight this battle. I didn’t say anyone else would be there or stand by you, did I. Just be there and do what I asked you to do. Don’t be upset with your brethren, as I did not ask them to be there, I asked you.” Renee responds, “Oh. OK. That stinks. I don’t know why, but I see your point. You gave me a passion and called me to go to the corner to be the only one “for” the homeless. But do you know how uncomfortable I am. There are nine others that have signs that are “against” the panhandlers. That song has new meaning at the moment, “I stand alone on the Word of God. The B-I-B-L-E.” Alone.”

So folks, what happened that day after that conversation with God was a miracle. As I stood there feeling very uncomfortable and intimidated something started to happen. One by one the protestors would come over and chit chat with me. I don’t remember the exact conversations, but I was given the opportunity to share what I knew about our homeless in our community. Short version, I tried to share that they weren’t vagrants. They were people, many of them children. Yes, I sympathized with them that there may be a problem with panhandlers affecting their businesses near the corner where they hang out and beg for money. But calling them vagrants was harsh, they were just people. I got to explain that the signs they had were creating a negative image of the majority of our homeless population.

At the end of the two hours, we were all one large group talking. I had seen the “protestor’s” hearts softened and their minds open to what I was saying. I had made a difference that day (not in conceited tone of accomplishment- but of amazement in the Holy Spirit using me to disarm hate and anger).

God’s point was very clear that day. Had He sent a mass of Christians to be the voice of the homeless that day, it would have been adversarial. Instead, God sent one person to be the unintimidating, humble servant of the marginalized. I was approachable as one. I may have been the minority that day, but God’s love was in majority that day. Don’t be discouraged when you think others around you should hop on board with one of God’s great plans He has given you. Sometimes we don’t see very clearly what the big plan is. But, God does! Trust in Him. If he needed a mass of Christians that day, He would have sent them. It was not mine to judge why no else was on board with this plan to be the voice of the homeless. NOTE: The simplistic nature of the problem presented in the article is by no means a full representation of what was going on in the area. The related article (which is not a full representation of the issues at hand either) that was in the newspaper can be read HERE.

Written by Renee Crosby