The Invisible Homeless

Every year the US department of Housing and Urban Development puts out a report on the state of homelessness in our nation.  We have all seen the homeless, those living on the street who have fallen on hard times, lost their jobs and homes, or are chronic drug addicts, alcoholics and the mentally ill. There has been a small decrease in the incidence of homelessness since 2007, but still well over half a million Americans are homeless, and a quarter of them are children under the age of 18.

But there is another type of homelessness that is increasing in epidemic proportions. I call it “the invisible homeless.” You can't pick them out in a crowd. In fact they may have all the signatures of success: a luxury car, the right address and clothes labels, the most up-to-date tech toys. But deep inside they are wandering, feeling alienated and alone. They can't identify “home”; people and a place where they know they are accepted, welcomed and wanted, not for what they can perform or produce, but simply for themselves alone.

Many are young and unmarried, carrying painful memories of their own parents’ divorce and fearful that marriage commitment will expose them to the risk of another home evaporating. Many are single again, separated or divorced, returning every evening to an empty dwelling full of bittersweet memories. All their hopes for a true home have disintegrated. Still others are estranged from family members, trapped in an impenetrable emotional wall reinforced by years of silence. Some are old or ill, and have been shoved aside to live their lonely lives outside of the community's collective awareness.

All of them struggle within their internal void longing to see a familiar face light up when they enter a room and hear warm words welcoming them. Their invisible homelessness is a daily reality that they deal with in quiet desperation. They see no hope for a true home, but they can't stop longing for it either.

We were created to find our identity and purpose within the context of home and family. The Godhead itself is a family: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God's intention in creating the human race was to extend His family infinitely. We were created in God’s image as a family and told to multiply and fill the earth with family. (Genesis 1:27–28; 2:24)

We can never stop the longing inside to be family for it is encoded into our very spiritual DNA. And Father God feels the alienation and pain of our invisible homelessness, for He longs to see His fragmented family restored and whole. His whole purpose in sending His son Jesus Christ to live among us and die for us on the cross, was to provide an avenue of reconciliation that enables us to join our spiritual family and rediscover our eternal home.

“God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do and it gave Him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:5) Father God never intended for you to be homeless. Receive His gift of reconciliation and become His adopted child today!

Please join us for services this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM. Our guest speaker at all 3 services is Dawna DeSilva, who is highly experienced in the Sozo deliverance and inner healing ministry.

Pastor Che