Reflective Essay On Being A Homeless

It is quite easy to believe that being a Christian only involves attending church every Sunday and celebrating the holy holidays such as Christmas and Easter. However, part of being a Christian is to go out into the community and spread the good news. While the goal is not to convert every person we come across, it is important that we spread God’s word and love. I worship at Faith Presbyterian Church and one of the ways that we embody Christ’s love is by helping feed the homeless population in New Orleans. Every Tuesday, a few members of the congregation meet at church to prepare a bag lunch that consists of a sandwich, fruit, and dessert. On Wednesday, the bag lunches are taken to First Presbyterian Church where homeless people line up to

It is easy to think that all homeless people are the same because of the circumstances that they are in, but they are an extremely diverse group of people. Despite their backgrounds, there is no denying that they should have access to basic human needs such as food and shelter. There are many places in the city dedicated to serving the needs of the homeless, such as the New Orleans Mission which is a shelter, however I feel that there is a lot more that the government can do. While providing more safe places is definitely beneficial, I feel that we need to examine the situations that lead to homelessness. For example, one demographic that I have encountered the most during my time serving the homeless are military veterans. These are people who bravely dedicated their lives to serving the United States and when they return from war, they sometimes have very little to come back to. Some of the veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and received very little to no treatment for it. Because of their lack of treatment, they are unable to live a normal life and often end up on the streets. I believe that if there were more government programs in place that helped in the transition back into civilian life, such as job training and therapy, there would be a decline in the amount of homeless people living on the streets. This program has allowed my personal values to evolve. I admit, I used to think that homeless people were the people who were too lazy to get a job. I was very narrow-minded and I was able to learn that there are so many reasons that contribute to someone ending up in that sort of situation. I was always taught not to judge others and that was exactly what I was doing. Christians strive to be more like Christ and treat others as He did, so I have been learning to do