Hope for the Homeless and the Poor

Joe is military veteran in the Unites States. Personal and family tragedies have left him homeless for some 18 years. One year he began to visit a local public library, where he sometimes conversed with a librarian. Those conversations changed his life. 

Martin, a young man in Argentina, felt spiritually empty. Life seemed purposeless to him. In his search for meaning, he left home and ended up living on a beach. But instead of finding the answers  he was seeking, he became deeply depressed. In tears, he begged God:  If you exist, please help me find you. " What was the outcome? We shall see. 

People become homeless for various reasons. Some, like Joe, experience personal tragedies. Others, like Martin, simply opt our of "normal" life, seeing it as a meaningless routine. Still others become homeless because of poverty, natural disasters, domestic violence, drug or alcoholic abuse, mental illness, a lack of affordable housing, or loss of employment.  

Once thought to be limited developing lands, or those battered by war or economic depression, homelessness has "emerged as a major social issue in most developed nations," says psychology professor  Paul Toro.  Contributing factors may include government policies regarding aid to low-income families and a widening gap of incoming inequality.

Many people are anxious  about tomorrow. Some, however, have lessened their anxiety by considering what the Bible says about the future-a topic that we will touch on shortly . The Bible can also help us now by giving us sound principles to live by-principles that enhance both our economic security and our emotional health, as Joe and Martin discovered for themselves. 

Next time: Hope for the Homeless and the Poor - THE BIBLE CHANGED HIS LIVE

From the AWAKE! magazine, 2015