Will God allow a saint to experience homelessness? From my own personal testimony, the answer is "Yes!" My children and I experienced homelessness in 2001 after an affliction with my foot resulted in the loss of my job with the Chicago Board of Education. I could no longer afford the apartment where we had been living since 1994. We started packing up our things, preparing to go to a place that The Lord was going to show us, because I had no idea. What waited for us down the road was a humbling and revealing experience with homelessness that I have not been able to easily forget. I found confidence in knowing that God did not have to suffer the affliction in my foot. I kept saying to myself, "I see God's hand in this." I did not understand why, but I believed that God had allowed this trial to come our way.
The Lord was all that I had and I could not let Him go. He was working out a divine plan in my behalf that I am still amazed by unto this day. In the midst of the fire God pulled us through — touching hearts and sending help along the way. In particular, Sister Barbara Whitehorn and Mother Louise Buford were tremendous blessings to us. Both have since passed on to glory, but images of their smiling faces and twinkling eyes are etched in my mind's gallery of Precious Moments. Their kindnesses will always be cherished.
Homelessness was a great challenge for my mind, body, and soul. It was hard to find adequate housing for my family. Most landlords were apprehensive towards renting to a single mother with teenaged boys. I turned to the city agencies for help: They offered to send me and my ten-year-old to a shelter, but my teenaged sons to a group home. That was not an option for me. Finally, I submitted an application to a new development that could accommodate my family. We were placed on a 45-day wait list with a hope, but that never materialized. These circumstances contributed to me having to rent a number of temporary inadequate dwelling places. Space will not allow me to elaborate on the bizarre situations that would occur and force us to be on the move again. There was about a three-week period when we had no place that we could call our own — even temporarily; we had to split up among family members and my eldest child obtained housing on campus. The reality of our homelessness had become painfully obvious.
Keeping my family together was a priority. Out of desperation I accepted a one bed room attic apartment for $695 a month (the landlord later wanted to go up to $725). A relative visited us and could go no farther than our kitchen which was at the top of the stairs. He was touched by the size of our living quarters and contacted me about a spacious three bedroom apartment for $650. Needless to say our homelessness had finally come to an end in November of 2002! The rent remained the same for the next six years. We stayed there until everyone had graduated from high school and moved out on their own, leaving me an empty nester. Praise God! It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him (Lamentations 3:22-24).
My love for God crystallized in the midst of this trial. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ became The Guider of my path, The Lifter of my head, The Encourager of my heart, The Holder of my hand, The Increaser of my faith, The Drier of my tears, The Healer of my body, and my Strong Tower when the pangs of my trial tried to engulf me. The Lord was my Deliverer.
We may not always understand just why some tests are placed on the "menus" of our lives. But we must trust that God knows what He is doing, and every slice of humble pie must be digested in order to benefit from the spiritual nutrients inside. Hebrews 12:11 says, Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Amazingly our adversities made us closer as a family. Towards the end of our storm, God revealed to me that homelessness was His way of moving my sons around so that they could not become caught up with the gangs and other negative influences in those crime laden communities. The "floating" around from place to place enabled me to spend more time with my Mother before she passed away in March of 2002. The affliction in my foot enabled me to be at home with my teenagers until they all finished high school. All of my children are now grown and living on their own as productive members of society. We still get together on occasions to reminisce that proverbial winter season, and to relive the moments of laughter that seemed to rescue us from the acidic consumption of the nature of our destitution. Our homelessness ended up being a blessing in disguise!
Comments (1)
This is a beautiful testimony. I had a similar experience many years ago. We have learned that the way up in Christ Jesus, is down. If we refuse to be humbled through tests and trials and look for a way out, avoiding suffering, we will not spiritually grow. It will be only a matter of time before we are spewed out into the world of sin again. Its far better to suffer the death of the flesh, saints. We want the power of Christ to shine through.