The Wake Up Call

The Wake Up Call

In our apartment as a group we prioritize safety. We lock the doors whenever we leave and every night someone locks both locks of the exiting door. We are in a very safe and secure building but you never know what could happen. One night we were suddenly awakened by the fire alarm. It honestly scared the crap out of me. Skye and I jumped up, hesitated for a second surprised that this event was happening, and ran downstairs. We raced down the four flights of steps just to find out it was a test. In all honesty it frustrated me that we had just raced down the stairs, at 6 am mind you, to a fire drill. This was the first, and literal, wake up call of the week.

Recently, I have had the opportunity to connect with an individual who has a unique story. I met Mr. Mike at one of the churches we visited, Capitol Hill UMC, and was advised to listen to his story by the pastor. Mr. Mike was addicted to drugs and homeless for many years. He used to sleep on the steps of the church he now attends. He attests his success to Jesus, federal programs, and Capitol Hill UMC. As you know, I have spent my whole summer researching the legislation behind homelessness so his testimony was extremely interesting to me. Mr. Mike was about to get into rehabilitation programs to help him stay off drugs and other programs to help him achieve a CDL license which both were federally funded. But the most interesting part of his story wasn’t about the programs he has been through. Mr. Mike explained to me how impactful the relationship between those in need and the people who create the legislation for the vulnerable really is. The wake up call in his testimony was the need for love he expressed. He stated that even though the people on Capitol Hill may think they have it all figured out for the poor- they don’t. Mr. Mike pointed out continuously how those who have any political power rarely come down from the Hill and speak DIRECTLY to those who are affected by their decisions. He mentioned how those who needed help also wanted love and a voice to be heard. When I asked him how local and state organizations can support those in need one of the things he stated was this: “The shell has to be broken; each and every homeless person wants to be loved- you need to show genuine love. People will talk to you and open up you just need to give them a chance. You gotta come to them they aren’t going to come to you.”

God calls us as Christians to love one another as we love ourselves which can be hard in the individualistic world we live in. As we are nearing the end of the program I am reminded that sometimes the wake up calls in our lives aren’t going to be extremely intentional. Sometimes we have to be humbled by the fire alarm to remind us of the blessing of secure housing. And sometimes we just have to be willing to speak with someone who has gone through more than we can imagine.