The ball is dropped.

The other night, I swung by Sonic to take some dinner to my 15 year old daughter who was staying late at school.  I occupied myself by watching 3 homeless men  sitting at the outdoor Sonic tables, sharing a large bottle of vodka.  They all had beards and a bedroll.  It was 30 degrees outside, so who am I to judge? Drink up friends.  But as I watched them, I began to wonder where society dropped their ball.  WHEN DO WE STOP CARING ABOUT PEOPLE?

They were babies, probably cute because all babies are.  They were held, at some point, by someone who had a connection with them.  They were kids in school with teachers who maybe noticed that something was wrong.  She tried to intervene.  She cared and tried to make a difference.  They maybe had friends or relatives who cried for whatever lifes circumstances were effecting their paths and choices. 

There were social systems involved:  DHS, therapists, jail, prision. Social Workers staffed their cases and lamented over their treatment plans.

They grew up and probably met a girl who loved them.  Maybe they got married and had a baby of their own.  Someone saw a good side and tried to build a life with them. 

When did it stop?  At what age? After which mis-step?  Where did all these people go?

At what point did society brush their hands together and say "Whelp, you have had all your chances.  Here is your one way ticket to the street corner. From now on we will mock and scoff your efforts,  We will become suspicious of your intentions and judge your motives as evil or worthless.  We will roll up our windows and snap shut our wallets for your own good, because any money you have will go to drugs and alcohol.  We will hold our children closer as you pass by and yell at you to "get a job."  The media and the police will beg us not to give you any money directly but to go through a reputiable agency who will spend our donations on overhead and branding. 

The homeless in our community are the equivalent of the lepers that Jesus healed.  They were outcasts.  Thrown away.  They induced fear for our health and for our soul.  They made our skin crawl and we wondered what they had done to receive this punishment from God.  We watched from the sidelines as they got what they deserved and felt justified in our disdain.

My God in Heaven.  How do you see the homeless? When can I stop saying "It's such a shame" and begin to see the shame is my own.