Poverty-Is there an Answer?

I am struck by all the poverty in the city I live in. It tears my heart out every time I hear someone begging me for money. There was a man asking me for money today. I felt selfish refusing him money. I had seen him begging for money before this. I had offered him some food and he refused. I just wonder when to believe that they really have a need in their life. We are told not to give them money to feed their addiction. I just can't bear to see someone in need or suffering. I remember giving a lady who was begging for money, a coffee and a hamburger which she thanked me for and then threw away. How can you help some of these people? Do they want to be helped?

There is an outcry in our city for some housing for those who can't afford the housing out there. Is that the answer? I remember volunteering at a Soup Kitchen and asking one man if he wanted off the street. He in not so many words told me he liked it on the street and didn't want to get off the street. I wanted to give him hope that there was a way out except he didn't want any answers. He had everything he needed well in hand.

Working at the kitchen humbled me alot. It wasn't just seeing people so down and out that humbled me but also the attitude of people on the street. They actually hated me and heaped abuse every which way on me. I was surprised, thinking here I was doing them a favor by volunteering to help them out. They could care less. All they wanted to do was to survive. IN fact, I saw them heap abuse not just on me but on others like them on the street. There was in fact some pecking order for existence on the streets. I would see men giving up their meals so other ones with them could eat what they had. This one man offered to marry me to help him off the street. My heart went out to these people and I saw for the first time what existence truly meant. How would I like to live on the streets not knowing where I was going or where my next meal would be? I would be angry too and frustrated and abusive. I stopped patting myself on the back and started reaching out despite the treatment because they really needed help. It was more then a gold star for being a great volunteer. It was putting myself in their spot and seeing what life was through their eyes.

If you ever want to learn some valuable lessons, I would suggest volunteering your time at a soup kitchen. IT sure opens your eyes to what life is all about. I can never totally understand the pain and suffering behind their eyes but I can try to get out of my own smug thinking for at least one minute. I really wish there was an answer to poverty but I don't think there is. I think that it will always exist in this world along with hunger and warfare. My hope is that I can make some difference to just one person to help them survive. I am just one person and hope to meet others who want to do the same thing. I wish there was a more unified front against this stuff. I have a dream of seeing joyful faces instead of pained expressions. I see a world without suffering beyond all this. I know there are others who have that same dream. I hope we can all meet each other and fulfill that dream with Jesus leading the way. Hope is still out there.