Clifton Sanctuary Ministries

How Being Homeless Made Me See That God Was Doing for Me, What I Couldn’t Do For Myself

Being homeless this Christmas Eve will not be like any other one before, because Hope is what I need Santa to bring me. In the last few months of being in recovery from alcoholism, depression, and just plain self-pity.

I have been giving many opportunities to help someone else in ways that I have never before felt was important.

Being selfish turned out to be one of my main character defects, so helping someone else without expecting anything in return was totally new to me.

But yet everyday coming to waking up at Clifton, getting breakfast, lunch bag, a ride to the Marta as well as a ride back in the afternoon is very humbling to me.

Dinner prepared by Pete, and seeing all the different volunteers that show up every day to serve dinner, wash our clothes, and wear bright smiles at the same time is so crazy to see.

And it happens everyday

That was mind blowing all by itself.

Why, I used to ask myself.

And I don’t have any money to pay for any of these services so I know without a doubt that this is God doing for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself.

So I don’t know nor is it meant for me to know how Clifton has been doing these great blessings for so many men for so many years.

I can only give credit to God and his plan because only God could move so many people’s spirit to give help to so many other homeless men, like me who never cared for or helped any one. Mainly because I didn’t know him like I am getting to know him now.

This has been the most humbling, confusing, loving, uncertain, greatest Christmas Eve in all my 44 years of living.

For me right now, “a lesson learned is a lesson earned.”

Author-Homeless But Not Hopeless