Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021
Tony, an inmate in the Wright County Jail, asked me if I knew what it was like to be homeless. Could I personalize it? I’ve been away from home and lonely before, I’ve had times when money was tight, and I’ve been hungry before. But I’ve not been homeless.
Before you start thinking, “Why doesn’t Tony just get a job?” let me tell you that he has a mental disorder that makes it hard for him to hold a job. His work history looks like a checkerboard with very small squares. I want to know about homelessness, but it’s too late in my life to experience it first hand. I’ll be meeting with Tony today via Zoom, and I’m going to ask him to describe homelessness to me, so I can experience it vicariously. I need to also tell you that Tony is a born-again Christian who knows the Bible well and who can pray up a storm. Aha, I can see you thinking again, “If this guy is a Christian, why doesn’t he let God take care of him?” I’ve found there aren’t a lot of simple answers to the lives of the incarcerated people I meet with in jails. It’s complicated. It’s very complicated.
Stay tuned – and pray for Tony to find a place in life where he can lead a meaningful life.