Find The Need And Show Up

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of leading a team from an area church to Hurt Park to do some outreach and love on our homeless friends. Many of the volunteers that were part of the outreach began having conversations with different people in the park. One volunteer in particular began a conversation with a young man named Chris. After talking together for some time the volunteer decided to introduce me to Chris because he was only twenty one.

Chris and I began talking for a few minutes. I asked him if he was interested in getting of the streets. He said he was not quite ready to leave. I then shared with him that he didn’t need to be living on the streets. I told him that the streets were unsafe and that he needed to go home with family as soon as possible. Then I said, “If you ever want to get off the street, give me a call.” Then I handed him a card with a map to SHO on the back.

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People all too often try to praise me and others for what we do for the homeless here in downtown. What we do is not really all that praiseworthy. All we do is show up where there are people in need.

In the city of Atlanta there are over six thousand counted homeless people. Many of them hang out in the parks during the weekend. Knowing this, we show up in the parks time and time again because we know we are going to intersect people who are in need.

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When I arrived to work on Monday, Chris was sitting in a chair in the parking lot waiting for me to arrive. When I got out of the car and walked over to him to see what was up he said, “I am going to take your advice. I want to go home.” I then told him I had several morning meetings, but if he would hang until that afternoon I would make some time to get with him to figure out a plan to make that happen.

The very next day Chris and I got in my car and I drove him home to west Georgia. Chris is off the streets and now living again with his family all because people Showed Up where the need was.

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What are the needs in your community? Is there an epidemic of illiterate children? Are there families going hungry? Are drugs on the increase in you area? Is AIDS infecting more and more people in your community? Only you can answer that question.

I remember hearing in college someone say, “If I want to get hit by a Mac truck then go stand on an interstate.” If you want to live love then go stand where the need is. Find the needs in your community then show up to help make change in those lives. Love for people does not always have to be some huge gesture. Just show up where needed and see how you will be able to live love towards others.