MY JUTE RUG, GOD AND THE HOMELESS....WHAT'S GOING ON?

Let me start by apologizing to y'all. I know, you certainly don't come to this blog to be depressed. And that's not my intention. But this blog is about my life. The good, the bad and the ugly. And sometimes I gotta vent because I am more than someone who likes to decorate. So I will be back tomorrow with a little decor thing I am doing. But...

This evening I am overwhelmed. Not because of DIY or decorating issues. But with life's injustice. Here I am lamenting about my rug falling apart and money down the drain and well, God gave me a little nudge tonight. Somewhere, someone is wondering where he's gonna lay his head on this freezing cold night...

Sure, we are allowed to be bummed because our roof is leaking, or dinner was burnt, or the hydraulics went out on your car (ours just did) and we are even allowed to be bummed over a beautiful new rug falling apart. We are not bad people or selfish for being frustrated with the daily aggravations of life. Because, that's life. So yes, it's ok for me to be irritated that I just spent good money on a rug that's literally falling apart. And it's ok if I wonder how much the hydraulics repair is gonna cost ....but in the scope of things....it just doesn't compare to sleeping in the street.

I was reminded of that this evening when I saw the man with the sign for money on the side of the road. When he smiled at me. I was reminded of life's injustices when pulling into the drive of my nice home. I have a comfy bed to sleep in with the furnace kicked up to whatever I choose. And yes, I could even afford a new rug in the first place. And all political rhetoric aside, I know some homeless people make choices that put them there. I also know that some don't. Life is tough and there are those out there that don't choose to be homeless or sleep in the streets or for God's sake, choose to go hungry and sleep under snow covered bridges. It breaks my heart. Where did we go wrong? This isn't a Democrat or Republican issue. This is a Human issue. When I say where did WE go wrong? I mean us. You, me, your neighbor, my neighbor. Our country. I have been told I shouldn't give them money because they will just spend it on drugs and alcohol. Well, guess what? I give it anyway. What they spend it on is between them and God. Whether I do the right thing or not and try to help them, is between me and God. Do unto others....remember?

The world has such beauty and goodness and love in it. But sometimes the ugliness breaks my heart. I wonder how God must feel? I know people blame Him a lot and my atheist friends say "your God allows people to starve to death, sleep in the snow and freeze to death"....Well, no -He doesn't. My God isn't responsible for that. We are. The collective "we". We live in one of the richest countries in the world and yet people go to bed hungry. The homeless is made up of you and me. It is filled with the mentally ill who have been dumped there due to the system falling apart. It is filled with families who just got overwhelmed in debt. It is filled with some of our children who made the wrong choices in life and ended up there. It is filled with normal hard working people who lost their jobs. It is filled with our Veterans who fought for the freedoms we have in this country. It is filled with children. Innocent children. We are not to judge how they got there. We are to give them a hand up. Remember the old saying...There but by the Grace of God, go I.

I feel overwhelmed tonight because, yes, I can give some. I can help some. I can try to do my share. But it's a big world. So many people. How do we stop this? Fix this? We've gotten so far away from helping our neighbor as the Good Book teaches us to do. We are off track. God's word teaches us if your neighbor asks for the shirt off your back -give it to him...then offer him your coat too! So God isn't to blame. He's given us a plan. He's taught us the right thing to do. He wrote it all down for us! We just don't listen. As usual. It must really grieve Him to look down and see our indifference, not only to Him but to our brethren. I believe as a nation we should be on our knees, crying out to God and asking Him back in to help us. But then again, it's not politically correct to even talk about God these days, let alone depend on Him or turn to Him. We are no longer a Christian nation. They say we are moving forward. Progressing. No room for God in our modern day society. He's outdated. To live by the standards of the Bible is not tolerated any longer.

Progress, remember? Yeah...we've come a long way baby. :(

And no matter how much I complain, express heartache, give money, or want to change things.....someone is sleeping on the cold ground covered in snow tonight.