Ecclesiastes 4

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls.  For he has no one to lift him up.  Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;  But how can one be warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.  And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NKJV)

I used to work on the staff of a fairly large church in Southern California.  The church was located in an area of So-Cal called "The Inland Empire” (aka The IE).   Forty minutes inland from Newport Beach and forty minutes from Palm Springs, the Inland Empire is a "settling" place.  If you’re tired of the high premium lifestyle of Orange County, but you’re not ready to retire in the desert, you’re probably looking for a more affordable way of life in-between.   That’s the IE.

For some reason, the IE is also a haven for homeless people.  Almost every major street intersection hosts someone holding a sign, begging.  Along many sidewalks, it is common to see a person pushing a shopping cart chocked full of their life’s possessions.  

One afternoon, I was on my way to lunch with one of our church’s pastors when he remarked that he used to be homeless.  I’d never had a conversation with a former homeless person.  So, I asked him two questions: 1) How did you become homeless? And 2) How did you get free from what seems to be an irreversible downturn?

His answer to the first question was simple.  “I became homeless because I burned all my relationships.”  He said that it all began by living selfishly and unaccountably.  Once he burned through all his close personal relationships, he was only left with convenient “party” relationships.  Eventually, his unaccountable lifestyle led to the loss of his job.  No money meant the loss of his party friends.  Then he turned to desperate means of hustling for money in parking lots and theft to survive.  He lived in his car.  Then, the car broke down.  One day, he returned from begging to find his “home” (car) had been towed.  Homeless.

So, how did he journey back to the point where he was a pastor on a major church staff?  Someone shared the gospel with him.  And from rock bottom, he entered into a personal relationship with Messiah Jesus.  He began reading the Bible and praying.  He became accountable to the Lord for his thoughts and actions.  That led to new personal relationships with other believers, a roommate, and eventually a job, car, wife, and kids.

We don’t have to be without a house to be homeless.  Many people are spiritually and emotionally “homeless.”  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  Followers of Jesus always have a family to love them and a home awaiting them. (John 14:2-3)