This morning as I prepared for church I went through my DVR to watch some shows I had recorded and never got around to. One was an Oprah episode where guest correspondent Lisa Ling was investigating the growing homeless crisis in America. I saw images that I won't soon forget. There were families that had been solidly middle class, but by either sudden job loss or being victimized by the sub-prime mortgage crisis were now homeless. Some families struggled to survive by living in homeless shelters, others lived in their vehicles, one couple was even living in the office of their business. The most disturbing image was one of a tent city. Yes, tent city! Such communities are growing in number all across the country, so prevalent that cities such as Sacramento, California are putting programs together to provide services for the families and individuals living in the squalid conditions. A sea of recession refugees right in our country. It could have easily been a landscape in any of the poorest nations in the world.
I immediately began to thank God for all my blessings and repent for complaining about trivial things. It's important to see tragedies at times because it gives us a reality check. It's so easy to get caught up in your contrived drama and be ignorant of real suffering.
Join me in praying for the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of people either suffering from poverty or on the brink. I'll never understand the mindset of some individuals who say they hope President Obama fails. Do they not realize that a failure for him is a failure for all of us? Our hope does not lie in President Obama, our only hope is in the Lord. Let's love one another and be mindful of those less fortunate. No matter what problems you may have, there are countless others far worse off, even in this great country.
J
