DAY 27 OF THANKFULNESS: HOUSING AND HEAT
This morning we woke up to a house with no electricity, which meant no central heat, which meant with the temperatures outside running below freezing that the house was cold.
But I was thankful that I had a snug house that would help to block out the worst of the cold and that the power company was working hard at getting the downed power line back up and working.
And as I rejoiced that I had plenty of warm clothes to bundle up in until the power was restored, I was reminded of the many out there that don't have the luxury of a heated home. Whether it is because they live in a house that doesn't protect them from the cold --- such as the Swazi child living in an unheated, drafty, mud hut --- or they don't even have a home --- like the homeless old lady or family trying to escape the bitter temperatures by climbing up under an overpass or breaking into a falling-down, crack house.
I know a family that is right on the edge of living on the streets. The single mom is trying to make a new start for their family but it isn't easy. Anyone who thinks that the poor are poor and the homeless are homeless just because they aren't willing to work doesn't understand how vicious the extreme poverty cycle is and how difficult it is to break. She is doing what she can to find permanent housing and get a job so she can support her family, but for now, they are living in a pay-by-the-week motel and depending on God to provide the weekly rent thru the generosity of churches and individuals.
In the middle of the night, just before our power went out, she texted me. She didn't know where the rent was going to come from. She's been praying and seeking God and choosing to trust Him to provide for them.
I also started praying and letting my little corner of the world know about their needs.
Unless someone stepped up, this family would be evicted. Despite the cold. Despite the number of young children.
But people did step up. A family in a nearby town got the word out to their friends and church members through facebook. By the end of the day, enough people had pitched in as they could to cover the rent for one more week.
This is how it is supposed to be. Those of us who have are supposed to share with those who have not. Those of us who follow Jesus are supposed to do to others as we would want done unto us and ours.
Today, that's what happened.
The body of Christ really was the body of Christ.
And one more family continues to see God's love and provision.
Pray for them, when you think about it. Pray that they'll continue to see God's abundant blessings and that they will soon, very soon, be established in their own home with a nearby job for the mom.
Because all of us should be able to say, "thank you God for a roof over our heads"....especially on really, really cold days and nights.
But I was thankful that I had a snug house that would help to block out the worst of the cold and that the power company was working hard at getting the downed power line back up and working.
And as I rejoiced that I had plenty of warm clothes to bundle up in until the power was restored, I was reminded of the many out there that don't have the luxury of a heated home. Whether it is because they live in a house that doesn't protect them from the cold --- such as the Swazi child living in an unheated, drafty, mud hut --- or they don't even have a home --- like the homeless old lady or family trying to escape the bitter temperatures by climbing up under an overpass or breaking into a falling-down, crack house.
I know a family that is right on the edge of living on the streets. The single mom is trying to make a new start for their family but it isn't easy. Anyone who thinks that the poor are poor and the homeless are homeless just because they aren't willing to work doesn't understand how vicious the extreme poverty cycle is and how difficult it is to break. She is doing what she can to find permanent housing and get a job so she can support her family, but for now, they are living in a pay-by-the-week motel and depending on God to provide the weekly rent thru the generosity of churches and individuals.
In the middle of the night, just before our power went out, she texted me. She didn't know where the rent was going to come from. She's been praying and seeking God and choosing to trust Him to provide for them.
I also started praying and letting my little corner of the world know about their needs.
Unless someone stepped up, this family would be evicted. Despite the cold. Despite the number of young children.
But people did step up. A family in a nearby town got the word out to their friends and church members through facebook. By the end of the day, enough people had pitched in as they could to cover the rent for one more week.
This is how it is supposed to be. Those of us who have are supposed to share with those who have not. Those of us who follow Jesus are supposed to do to others as we would want done unto us and ours.
Today, that's what happened.
The body of Christ really was the body of Christ.
And one more family continues to see God's love and provision.
Pray for them, when you think about it. Pray that they'll continue to see God's abundant blessings and that they will soon, very soon, be established in their own home with a nearby job for the mom.
Because all of us should be able to say, "thank you God for a roof over our heads"....especially on really, really cold days and nights.
No comments:
Post a Comment