Sunday, January 31, 2010

1/31

On Thursday we were asked to reflect on our purpose as a class. I think we all agree that the Upstate Homeless Coalition is an organization whose mission is worthwhile, and we want to offer any help we can this semester. This is probably going to take the form of helping them with social networking, newletters, documentary movies, and other creative ideas that will increase their visibility and ultimately enhance their ability to reach out to the homeless in the upstate.

All of those things are awesome, and I am sure that the UHC will greatly appreciate our talents. But when you get right down to it, most of those things are a one-shot deal that will help in the short-term but need to be replaced or revised in the future. So we need to look at what our purpose is for the semester not in terms of what we are necessarily going to "do" but more like what is the greater purpose being served through us.

I believe that we are serving a higher purpose than just putting band-aids on the problem of homelessness. More than anything we can physically do, I think that our attitudes and treatment of the homeless can start to make a real difference in the broader culture. I know that this is a class and I don't mean to get too preachy on this blog but I am reminded of the story from Mark 1:40-45 when Jesus touched the leper. In that culture, lepers were total outcasts from the time the disease showed itself until death. While the leper had to deal with sores and pains, his biggest hurt probably came from the lack of community with anyone around him. Jesus could have healed the leper with the snap of his fingers, but he didn't. He reached out his hand and touched the man... something that might have never happened to the man before in his life. Sure, his illness was cured, but later that week he probably stubbed his toe or got robbed or lost a loved one. The point I'm trying to make is that it wasn't the immediate cure that meant so much to the leper, but it was the fact that Jesus was willing to reach out and touch him when nobody else would.

In the same way, I think that we can have a much more lasting impact if we change the way we think about the homeless and show the Upstate Homeless Coalition that we are a generation that refuses to just throw money and other resources at the problem. Hopefully we will have the opportunity and the privelege of being a part of real change this semester as we offer the UHC our services.

1 comment:

  1. Hey Tee,

    I just added your blog to my blog roll as per Dr. Novak's request. My blog is http://tiffanysellers.wordpress.com

    Tiffany

    ReplyDelete