Don't Want To Be Streeted Again

I recently spoke with "Jack" at the ministry trailer of Cream and Sugar. I've seen Jack around before but not lately. After some pleasant small talk, Jack told me that he had lost his job lately. It seems it was his own fault, and he accepts responsibility for this. However, it means that in about two weeks he will get kicked out of his apartment for not paying the rent.

Jack has been on the street before. So I figured that might not be a big deal to him. However, it is. Jack doesn't want to be on the street again. He asked for some help to make sure he's working as hard as possible to find a new job so he won't be on the streets. I certainly offered him some help in the following ways:

• Regular check-in with me on how many applications he has submitted since we last met
• Making a resume together
• Brushing up on his interview skills using questions common in interviews
• Discussing the companies and jobs he looking for to find additional avenues of work.

Jack liked these ideas a lot. He said he has some problem getting going every morning. If he doesn't get going soon enough, he finds that he wastes the rest of the day. Who doesn't feel this? So I gave Jack a wrist watch with alarms on it. He had depended on a phone in the past but it got broken. He was very happy. I hope the watch will serve as a symbol that he's looking for work and staying off the street.

I also challenged Jack in one more way. Jack was raised as a Catholic. He has turned to the Bible in times of trouble in the past. I challenged him to be turning to the Bible on a daily basis now, before the trouble comes. He liked the idea, but I'm not sure he had the means to do it. I'll follow-up more on that next time I see him.

I asked Jack why he doesn't want to be on the street again. (Several of his friends stated outright that they don't mind being on the street.) Jack said he doesn't like the way people look at you and judge you. He doesn't like getting trapped by the booze and the drugs. It just doesn't work for him anymore. Praise the Lord for this wisdom revealed to Jack! Now let us pray for Jack to discover the wisdom found in Proverbs (and throughout the Bible) of working diligently with your talents and gifts to be fruitful and prosperous -- not for the sake of comfort but for the sake of the Kingdom and glory of God!