I have lost three of my four brothers to drugs and alcohol. It changed the trajectory of my life. I experienced some radical healing from my own trauma and from so much loss as I meditated and lived out Isaiah 58:10. There is a portion in the amplified Bible that says, “If you pour out what you have to sustain your own life to satisfy the need of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness.”
I was driving home from my Bible study one week and there was a homeless man on the corner that looked like an emaciated version of my husband. He even had a guitar, too. I knew God was telling me to take the healing that I had received and give it away on the streets. It’s so easy to draw a line in the sand between them and us until God clearly shows you that you could be the person on the street.
At first, I joined several organizations that feed the homeless and eventually formed a non-profit to provide food, health care, housing needs, and mental health care to the homeless. I also mentor and give counseling in order to help people get healthy enough to give back to the homeless community. Mainly, I’m staying present with people and building trust so that relationships can be built. It is truly a joy to love, grieve, and celebrate with people. We have the sacred opportunity to throw parties for people that no one throws parties for. We are privileged to hold unwanted and forgotten hearts and hands. Jesus sits with the brokenhearted and he lets us pull up a chair.
Honestly, I am being ministered to as much as anyone. People who are raw and real and vulnerable see you when you’re hurting. They are not afraid to go past small talk and hear a hard story. They aren’t afraid to grieve with you. I have had some of the most heartfelt prayers spoken over me under bridges and in tent cities. I’d say that I definitely benefit more than anyone else. When you lose people, grief can be so painful because your love has nowhere to land. Thanks to a few hundred people on the street, my grief has landed and grown the wings of healing.
Steph Cherry | thebohotable.org
Wings of Healing
Steph Cherry,
Christ our King Anglican,
New Braunfels, TX
