This week’s #FridayFavors is hygiene kits!
I remember when I first moved to San Diego in 2005, I was utterly shocked by the number of homeless encampments everywhere. Ironic, since now that is the sad state of our nation no matter where you live. At first, I would give panhandlers the extra coins from my cupholder or a couple of dollars if I had it. Then, it became burdensome and unsustainable. And frustrating.
I stopped giving. I have always been charitable with my donations to a variety of causes and to certain organizations and continued giving in those ways. But by the late 2000’s, I just couldn’t allow myself to find any joy in giving directly to strangers.
Yesterday, I was reminded of the joy I used to feel when I was able to help a perfect stranger on the street…
“For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
2 Corinthians 9:7
As I read that verse, I immediately knew what #FridayFavors was going to be this week.
Hygiene kits.
Those people experiencing homelessness can benefit from more than just money. The idea behind these baggies is to provide them with some basic necessities, the Word of God, and maybe a little bit of hope.
One of my favorite movie lines of all time is from Shawshank Redemption when Red reads a letter sent to him by his prison buddy Andy Dufresne after his escape:
“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
There are so many different reasons why people become (and sometimes even choose to remain) homeless. My place in this world is not to question their life experiences and choices or judge them for the position they now find themselves in.
My place is to extend God’s love and a little grace. If that brings even one person hope, it will be worth it.
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