I have written in the past about Homelessness and described it as a state of mind, as opposed to a state of being.  That is a critical concept to understand, but even more important is understanding how the state of mind came to be.  As I mentioned Sunday, generalizations can be useful in creating understanding, but every person is different and they come with their own set of issues.  That said, the majority of homeless people have some significant trauma in their childhood.  They were abandoned, there was sexual abuse, physical, emotional or verbal abuse and in some cases, all of the above.  These people almost always have serious substance issues too, and they use substances in an effort to wipe away the pain they don't know how to deal with in any other way.  

Most left home when they were still kids and have been on the streets ever since.  The streets are not kind or safe and for a kid to be alone on the streets is frightening, but in the mind of that child, the streets are somehow safer and less threatening than being at home.   Give that a little thought.  Imagine a life with people who supposedly love you, that is so frightening that moving into a completely uncertain, cold, wet, potentially violent world, is the better option.  In that world, they find others with similar problems who help them overcome pain with drugs or alcohol. 

Of course, suppressing the pain only serves to prevent the person from moving on and they remain stuck emotionally at the age when they experienced the trauma.  The side effect is the pain and anger needs to come out and it does in socially unacceptable ways.  I expect many of you have experienced anger or overly aggressive behavior.  When this happens keep two things in mind:  

1.  It is not you at whom they are angry

2.  Be kind and respectful.  Look them in the eye and state your case in a calm and confident tone, knowing that looking back at you is just a little kid trying to survive in a very unkind and uncertain world where nobody can be trusted.

When you see someone looking less than desirable, think, "Here comes Jesus in one of His disconcerting disguises."  Treat the person accordingly.