Homeless

My friend rails against the misuse of the word “homeless.” She contends that many panhandlers, vagabonds and transients are not really homeless, but rather living a chosen lifestyle. Today we hear a lot about the homeless and in many instances the label is used as a way to shame society. Paul told the Corinthians, “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world” (1 Cor 4:11-13 NIV). Paul’s intent was not to shame, but to warn them as dear children of his way of life in Christ Jesus.