I just finished reading "Breaking Night". It is a book by Liz Murray who was a homeless teen that ended up graduating from Harvard. It made me particularly sensitive this morning as I passed several homeless people on the street.
I ended up having breakfast with Charlie. A 27 year old "boy" who has been on the street for 10 years. When I ask him how he got to this place he simply said "I don't want to follow my mother's husband's rules. He disrespects me." So I asked, does he curse at you? Does he beat you? Does he yell at you? These answers were all no. I asked if he mistreated Charlie's mother or refused to pay the bills. Still no. Then he told me that "they just want to be there with their own kids and not me so he tries to tell me what to do". It was shocking to me that he could be so blunt with me. He told me that he thought his way off the street was simply to get a job so he could have his own place and his own rules. All he needs is a job. If I had a good one to give him, he thought his problems would essentially be over. I'm writing you this morning because I realize that most of us think that a job is what will make us in life. We've been taught that a good job and good money will pave the way for a good life. However, I looked at Charlie and realized that no job will help him. What he needs is to be able to honor authority and to be able to discipline himself to do what is right even when it's hard. What Charlie needs is an appreciation for what is done for him and a realization that no one, not even his parents, owes him anything. I think we all are like Charlie in some ways. We don't want to exercise because we don't have the discipline. We don't want to eat well because we don't have the discipline. We don't want to follow every rule to the letter because its hard. We feel we should have more from our parents, our friends, our significant others but we hardly acknowledge all they have already given to us. And somehow we think, if there was more money all of this would go away. We' think we'd hire a cook and a trainer. We think we'd have more time from others if they had more money. We think that life would be so much better if there was just a better job. But guess what, just like Charlie, we just need to make the choices to do better...to be better. While Charlie is choosing to sleep on the street, we are choosing to say we don't like vegetables or exercise. While Charlie is choosing not to go home, we are choosing to not to budget. While Charlie is rebelling against his parent's rules, we are doing the same with our parents, our bosses, our teachers. We are choosing to complain about our lives instead of taking FULL responsibility for making ourselves better people both inside and out; instead of having the courage to push to be our absolute best everyday. I challenge us all to look around at the people we pity. Look at the people who have made, what we feel are, ridiculous choices in their lives. Aren't we doing the same? If we are not taking care of our health, our minds, our relationships...Aren't these just choices that keep our lives from being the best they can be? Is it really that different from choosing drugs? Let's all keep Charlie and the millions of homeless people in the world in our thoughts. Some are homeless by choice and some by circumstance, but they all need our thoughts. And then let's all repent for ourselves. Let us walk in self-discipline and in obedience to the righteous authorities placed in our lives. Let us work to be our best selves so that we can make our contribution to the world and not just have a "good job". Let us hope for strength and courage to do all we know we should be doing, every day. This is my hope for me and for you...and for Charlie.
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AuthorsTRF Blog posts are written by our board members. They are parents and community members that are extremely concerned about the development of youth. Archives
February 2018
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