| Empowering The World's Diversity |
One of the unfortunate things about living in a big city is the concentration of homelessness
and poverty that often pervades certain neighborhoods. In fact seeing homeless people in
significant numbers in wealthier areas of town is becoming the norm rather than the exception.
In fact poverty is a shocking problem in America altogether. A staggering 37 million people in
the United States live in poverty and an estimated 45 million people live without insurance.
Imagine that every 13th person that you encounter today is living in poverty. Well this is
indeed the case. Poverty comes in all shapes, colors and hues.
Another major problem that I see in relation to poverty and the rising rates of homelessness is
panhandling. They’re the street beggars who stand on the corners, at traffic intersections, in
front of stores and near churches and badger those who pass by for change or food.
Dealing with street beggars truly tests the Christ in me. Am I a bad person if I don’t give?
What would Jesus do at this exact moment?
I am not against helping other people especially when they’re down-and-out, but what I have
difficulty with is the sheer number of people living on the street, earning money through
begging and through the kindness of strangers.
From young children to the very old, I am more amazed than ever of the often boldness and
aggressiveness that some people have in asking, pestering and even badgering others to give.
It’s a disturbing sight to witness every day.
But it is especially a difficult chore to walk past another human being as if they do not exist
without an acknowledgement if only by a quick glance. Often a quick glance of
acknowledgement gives a panhandler their “in” with you. They feel as if yes, there is a chance
that you might stop and give.
I recently witnessed inside of a busy train station a derelict man who seemingly was trying to
start a fight walking side-by-side with another man and his family loudly asking for money. It’s
as if the derelict man who actually was of a significant size was bullying people with his
physical presence and loud mouthed antics to get them to give him money.
When it didn’t work on the man and his family, the derelict person went after a child who was
walking by himself. He used the same intimidating antics on a child!!
Upon closer inspection of this supposedly homeless guy, I noticed that he had on ear plugs
that went down to his Ipod and he looked like he could stand to loose a few pounds which
made me wonder if he really was homeless or if this was his way of earning money.
I often see the same people sitting at the same street corner day after day including weekends
begging for money. With such faithfulness to begging they stick to it as if it were a 9-5 job.
And to some it really is.
I remember when I used to live in Atlanta a local news team followed a panhandler from his
stoop in downtown, to his car at a nearby garage, to his middle income home in the suburbs.
When confronted with news cameras, the guy admitted this was way of earning extra cash,
through begging.
Meanwhile legitimately down-on-their-luck people are passed up for assistance everyday for
fear that they too might be schemers seeking a way around the system of work.
I used to be sucker for panhandlers, because I wanted to express the love of Christ towards
the least of these and to people who were just in a really bad spot. I’ve been in plenty of bad
spots before but thankfully I had either family or friends who were able to help me out.
I used to think to myself what if I didn’t have them to help me, I too could be homeless and
asking for change on the street. So I would be more inclined to help those I would see on the
street thanking God it was not me.
But years later after being badgered so often I now stand much more firm in my ability to
ignore those who I see on the street. I wonder what Christ must think of me now?
I’ve come to the realization that I can’t help everybody that I see and in some circumstances it
places me at risk as a possible target for robbery or more.
I now join the rest of America who passes without blinking by the human “garbage” that we are
so quick to dismiss as lazy, drug and/or alcohol addicted. We are all too eager to put out of
sight the begging youth who we think learns from their elders when in actuality, many begging
youth are actually raising themselves.
It is emotionally painful to know that so many people exist in such squalor conditions and that
there is absolutely nothing that we can do to help. Back during the Reagan Administration the
President eliminated numerous social programs that would have helped adults and youth alike
to stay off the street and to help rebuild their lives again.
Today, there are few federal resources in comparison to yesteryear that are dedicated to social
services. Somehow the Red party with help from the Blue party convinced the rest of middle-
America that the least of these didn’t want to work. Somehow we engaged ourselves in a class
and race conflict where we said enough is enough and cut off vital support to those who
needed it the most.
Somehow we became a nation at ease with ignoring the plight of poverty and homelessness by
arming ourselves with a pull yourself up by your bootstrap mentality. But when a person
doesn’t have boot let alone a bootstrap, this mantra doesn’t work.
So as I continue to walk the urban streets and I’m asked “brother can you spare some
change,” I quickly reflect to see what the Spirit would have me to do in light of the fact that I
have limited resources and that there are at least 20 more people I will encounter by the end
of the day asking me the same thing.
Spirit do I give today? Do I give to this person? Do I walk away? Do I ignore today? Or do I
give right now? ………..Within seconds I know the answer. Often I walk a way yet other times
I give but ALL the time I pray for them as I walk away.
I am accompanied by a brief guilt that is soon shrugged off by knowing that I am but one
person and that my little bit of assistance combined with others will make a difference. I go on
faith knowing this to be the Truth as I walk away.
Herndon Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV/Radio Host. He an be reached directly at www.
herndondavis.com or at his blog at www.herndondavis.blogspot.com
and poverty that often pervades certain neighborhoods. In fact seeing homeless people in
significant numbers in wealthier areas of town is becoming the norm rather than the exception.
In fact poverty is a shocking problem in America altogether. A staggering 37 million people in
the United States live in poverty and an estimated 45 million people live without insurance.
Imagine that every 13th person that you encounter today is living in poverty. Well this is
indeed the case. Poverty comes in all shapes, colors and hues.
Another major problem that I see in relation to poverty and the rising rates of homelessness is
panhandling. They’re the street beggars who stand on the corners, at traffic intersections, in
front of stores and near churches and badger those who pass by for change or food.
Dealing with street beggars truly tests the Christ in me. Am I a bad person if I don’t give?
What would Jesus do at this exact moment?
I am not against helping other people especially when they’re down-and-out, but what I have
difficulty with is the sheer number of people living on the street, earning money through
begging and through the kindness of strangers.
From young children to the very old, I am more amazed than ever of the often boldness and
aggressiveness that some people have in asking, pestering and even badgering others to give.
It’s a disturbing sight to witness every day.
But it is especially a difficult chore to walk past another human being as if they do not exist
without an acknowledgement if only by a quick glance. Often a quick glance of
acknowledgement gives a panhandler their “in” with you. They feel as if yes, there is a chance
that you might stop and give.
I recently witnessed inside of a busy train station a derelict man who seemingly was trying to
start a fight walking side-by-side with another man and his family loudly asking for money. It’s
as if the derelict man who actually was of a significant size was bullying people with his
physical presence and loud mouthed antics to get them to give him money.
When it didn’t work on the man and his family, the derelict person went after a child who was
walking by himself. He used the same intimidating antics on a child!!
Upon closer inspection of this supposedly homeless guy, I noticed that he had on ear plugs
that went down to his Ipod and he looked like he could stand to loose a few pounds which
made me wonder if he really was homeless or if this was his way of earning money.
I often see the same people sitting at the same street corner day after day including weekends
begging for money. With such faithfulness to begging they stick to it as if it were a 9-5 job.
And to some it really is.
I remember when I used to live in Atlanta a local news team followed a panhandler from his
stoop in downtown, to his car at a nearby garage, to his middle income home in the suburbs.
When confronted with news cameras, the guy admitted this was way of earning extra cash,
through begging.
Meanwhile legitimately down-on-their-luck people are passed up for assistance everyday for
fear that they too might be schemers seeking a way around the system of work.
I used to be sucker for panhandlers, because I wanted to express the love of Christ towards
the least of these and to people who were just in a really bad spot. I’ve been in plenty of bad
spots before but thankfully I had either family or friends who were able to help me out.
I used to think to myself what if I didn’t have them to help me, I too could be homeless and
asking for change on the street. So I would be more inclined to help those I would see on the
street thanking God it was not me.
But years later after being badgered so often I now stand much more firm in my ability to
ignore those who I see on the street. I wonder what Christ must think of me now?
I’ve come to the realization that I can’t help everybody that I see and in some circumstances it
places me at risk as a possible target for robbery or more.
I now join the rest of America who passes without blinking by the human “garbage” that we are
so quick to dismiss as lazy, drug and/or alcohol addicted. We are all too eager to put out of
sight the begging youth who we think learns from their elders when in actuality, many begging
youth are actually raising themselves.
It is emotionally painful to know that so many people exist in such squalor conditions and that
there is absolutely nothing that we can do to help. Back during the Reagan Administration the
President eliminated numerous social programs that would have helped adults and youth alike
to stay off the street and to help rebuild their lives again.
Today, there are few federal resources in comparison to yesteryear that are dedicated to social
services. Somehow the Red party with help from the Blue party convinced the rest of middle-
America that the least of these didn’t want to work. Somehow we engaged ourselves in a class
and race conflict where we said enough is enough and cut off vital support to those who
needed it the most.
Somehow we became a nation at ease with ignoring the plight of poverty and homelessness by
arming ourselves with a pull yourself up by your bootstrap mentality. But when a person
doesn’t have boot let alone a bootstrap, this mantra doesn’t work.
So as I continue to walk the urban streets and I’m asked “brother can you spare some
change,” I quickly reflect to see what the Spirit would have me to do in light of the fact that I
have limited resources and that there are at least 20 more people I will encounter by the end
of the day asking me the same thing.
Spirit do I give today? Do I give to this person? Do I walk away? Do I ignore today? Or do I
give right now? ………..Within seconds I know the answer. Often I walk a way yet other times
I give but ALL the time I pray for them as I walk away.
I am accompanied by a brief guilt that is soon shrugged off by knowing that I am but one
person and that my little bit of assistance combined with others will make a difference. I go on
faith knowing this to be the Truth as I walk away.
Herndon Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV/Radio Host. He an be reached directly at www.
herndondavis.com or at his blog at www.herndondavis.blogspot.com
| Street Beggars Test the Christ In All Of Us |
| By: Herndon L. Davis |
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