Continue On

 As I write this, it’s Tuesday afternoon.  The wind has been howling since yesterday morning.  Forty, fifty, and even sixty mile an hour winds are coming through the Wichita, Kansas area.  Even for one who works and lives inside, it’s enough to make one tired.  And for those who have to work outside in the wind, or worse, live outside, these kinds of days are exhausting.  The constant fighting against the wind, the constant trouble of having to keep things from blowing away, and the constant attack of dust and pollen on one’s sinuses make for, at the very least, a very unpleasant day.

Thursday, the day this should air on YouTube, should be pleasant, they say.  We should have had some rain by then, and the wind will have died down considerably to a gentle five to ten miles an hour out of the North.  More of a traditional fall day will be in the air, hopefully, on Thursday when this airs.

These days are an inconvenience for those of us fortunate enough to have a place to live and work inside.  I see, though several of our “outdoor friends” as we like to call them at RiverWalk Church, trying to navigate the sidewalk while keeping their things gathered.  I can’t imagine having to walk against the wind for more than just a block or so, but many of these people have no choice.  They have to walk everywhere they go.

I confess I don’t know what to do, if anything, regarding the homeless situation.  Wichita and the United States aren’t the only places where the homeless live.  This is a world-wide issue that has defied solutions for decade upon decade and century upon century.  Although difficult to quantify, most estimates of homelessness worldwide hover in the 150 million range, with as many as one out of every six people living in some kind of what is generally called “inadequate shelter.”  Of course, the definition of “inadequate shelter” can vary depending on the societal and geographical settings where one is.

And, of course, in situations such as the war in Gaza, many tens of thousands of people who once had adequate shelter now have no place to live or go due to the war having decimated their housing and communities.  Refugees and displaced persons appear in many places around the world…some as a result of some kind of conflict or natural disaster that happened years ago.  There just hasn’t been the available resources to resupply adequate housing, and probably won’t be in the foreseeable future.

Of course, the prevalence of homelessness world wide shouldn’t be an excuse for us here in Wichita America to just ignore homelessness and inadequate shelter.  We can’t say, “Well, it’s been an issue for hundreds of years, and it’s endemic the world over, so we know we won’t be able to fix it on our own, so…we won’t even try.”  That would be like saying that people get cancer the world over, and have for centuries…we know we won’t be able to fix it on our own, so we won’t even try.”  Of course we continue the cancer research.  We continue the studies.  We continue to try new methods of treatment.

It's the same with the homeless issue and other societal issues.  Just because we can’t come up with a cure within a short time doesn’t mean we just throw up our hands and quit.  We continue to gather information.  We continue to develop ways of approaching the issue.  We continue to try new methods of helping.  We keep at it, not becoming weary…not giving up.

The Apostle Paul told the Galatian Christians this in his letter to them:  Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.

Our work as Christians is to “keep on keeping on,” as the old saying goes.  We continue to do the good works that God has prepared for us to do, regardless of whether or not a “cure” or “fix” comes along.  We continue the work.  We continue doing good to everyone.  And that includes those who have no place to call home.

Blessings,