homeless and happy.

watching the news the past few nights...channel 13 has had a story about a guy who was displaced from his camp by the rising river downtown; his camp was flooded, much of his gear lost and/or ruined...interesting stuff for me as i ponder the homeless situation and what we do and think about it as a community of faith. last night, the guy was on again; he had been given a new campstove, found his american flag (he served in the arizona state color guard or something like that; the flag was very meaningful to him for this reason), and got back his bike that didn't appear to be any worse for the wear. i'm fascinated by this story for a few reasons...

-- this man was homeless by choice it appears. his past speaks of some sort of military service; i would imagine based on the interview that he is fully capable of living in society like we all do. i'm making assumptions here, but simple observation leads me to believe that he's chosen to live in a camp.

-- he was concerned about his belongings, but didn't seem overly upset. i would imagine when one lives outside, the elements are an x-factor and belongings are viewed as replaceable.

-- he had an air of trust -- again, observation leads me to believe that his things weren't what defined him, and he had 'faith' that the things lost would be replaced eventually. and that he'd be ok with or without them.

-- he wasn't asking for help. he happened to be singled out; how many people were displaced and lost their stuff?

now...what about all this? we had a SMALL stream in our basement last week and it completely ruined my day! the basement smelled all swampy, our rugs got wet (gasp!) and i had to deal w/ some nasty stuff for a day or two. hmmmm...notice anything? had my belongings all washed away, i would be FREAKING out! i spazz when something little doesn't work right...i'm not exactly sure what this post is purpose wise other than some self reflection, but you know, it's really convicting, inspiring, and challenging to think about life from this man's perspective. nothing we 'own' is irreplaceable, and moreover, not ONE thing i own defines who i am as a man, husband, or follower of Jesus. that stuff gets in the way sometimes as i try to hide behind the stuff and project an image that maybe isn't quite who i'm wired up to be...

maybe the lesson for us as people and parents is to teach our kids this -- when our kiddos ask about the homeless folks we see around town, the conversation often goes quickly to why they are that way. maybe we should venture down the road of what it means for some of them -- not saying we ought to all throw away our stuff and live by the river -- i do not think God intends us to have nothing and live in poverty! i believe that we are 'placed where we are and given what we are given' and that we shouldn't be ashamed of that. rather, maybe we should discuss what defines us as people and individuals -- it's not the toys be enjoy, where or how we live, but the people we are inside that makes us valuable.

just some thoughts...