Authored by John Beehner, founder of Wise Counsel, a process for Christian Entrepreneurs and author of the new best seller “The Freedom Revolution...Rocking our World.”

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Who am I? by Kristin Bridgman

Who am I?
I live out in the world
I live in a car or camper in parking lots
I live under bridges and tents and cardboard boxes in the woods

Who am I?
I may have lost my job and cannot get another
I may have gotten sick and lost everything
I may have made bad choices and consequences are following me

Who am I?
I'm a person just like you
I have red blood traveling through my veins
My heart beats just like yours
I feel hurt and pain, sometimes love
I cry, I laugh, I dream, sometimes I just sleep because of depression

Who am I?
I came from a family
I had a beginning, I have a story
Sometimes I have hope, sometimes  I don't

Do you know who I am?

Most do not know me because they are not looking for me
If they pass by, they don't want to look
They look the other way

If you see me please,
extend your hand to shake mine
Look me in the eyes and smile
Acknowledge that I am a human being worthy of a handshake, a smile, a little bit of kindness

Who am I?
I'm labeled homeless
I may not have a home but I still have a spirit
That spirit can get real low at times
So please say a prayer for me

Who am I?

                                                                                                   I am Daryl


                                                                                                  I am Dave


                                                                                                I am Gordon


                                                                                                    I am Larry


                                                                                                     I am Mike


                                                                                                   I am Roger


I am Sophia

If I seem unpleasant or I scare you, please forgive me
It's hard to always be on my best with so many worries on the mind, or aches and pains, or extreme uncomfortableness
Sometimes I may feel lost
But I will do by best to be kind to you

That's why a pleasant smile and a handshake can be so important
For you to look me in the eye and call me by my name
can lift me up
When you smile at me, I will smile back at you

Who am I?

I am a child of God
And I may be waiting for you to come tell me




 The blanket ministry began with a book I read called Same Kind of Different As Me, a very powerful, true story, about a homeless man that befriended a couple working in a soup kitchen in Dallas and how they were each changed by the other through their friendship. I was then led to a book club that was discussing this very book.  It was at this book club that I first learned my town had a homeless population.  It was November, already cold out and it broke my heart to think of people out there living in the cold.  I asked questions about how I could help and the answer came back "blankets". 

I began collecting blankets, asking for donations and began to seek out these people, befriending them in the mean time, getting to know them and they took my heart.  After giving away over 1000 blankets in two years, hearing stories and seeing them with new eyes, through the eyes of Jesus, it was layed on my heart to write a book, sharing their stories and bringing awareness to this problem and letting the general population know these are people loved by God and they are not to be scared of or to be repulsed by.

I found freedom from stepping out of my comfort zone to enter this new world, and I pray that as I share the love of Christ with people, they will find their freedom in the gift that is offered them in Jesus Christ.  That is the only real freedom!

Today's guest author is Kristin Bridgman, Christian blogger, wife, and mother of two sons.  To learn more about Kristin, visit her blog at http://ponderingsbykris.blogspot.com/

6 comments:

  1. Wow!! Kristin what a lovely poem and testimony of how God stirred your heart for the homeless! I was born and raised in New York where the homeless populations is out of control!!

    I remember going to work on the subways and see them all the time and I'd be very judgmental. Through many circumstance caused my life to take a really hard and difficult time and I found myself homeless, pregnant and my son, who was 12 or 13 was forced to live in a homeless shelter. I ended up giving birth to my baby while I was still in the shelter.

    It was during this time that God taught me by helping me be an observer of the people I found myself in the same boat with. As a writer, I would write about what I say and the "system" and how it was failing people. I realize everyone of those people had a story that no one knew about that got them where they were. I had a story. Here I was college educated, 15 years of work experience, skills, etc. and still my living in sin and a series of bad choices...I found myself homeless!

    I have never judged another homeless person since that time and it's been almost 18 years ago! God is awesome and He loves everyone; He excludes NO one!

    Great post Kristin!

    Yvonne
    http://spiritualseedfoodforthesoul.blogspot.com

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  2. That is awesome Kristin! You are doing a great work for Christ. He makes it clear that we should all help the poor. Too many times it is easy to ignore them or cast them out as damaged beyond repair. But through us, He can rebuild and restore these poor souls.
    God Bless!

    - Jason Hoover
    www.ChampionForGod.com

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  3. Thanks for picking up this burden the Lord laid on your heart and running with it! I also read Same Kind of Different as Me. What an impact this one couple had on the life of the homeless man profiled! The message stuck with me long after I read the last page and closed the cover. Thank you for ministering to "the least of these."

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  4. Kristin, this is a beautiful poem. Thank you for sharing this and for following God's lead.

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  5. What an incredible example of living out the heart of Christ. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story and for working on behalf of our Lord and helping the homeless. There is nothing more satisfying than helping and giving to the needy people of the world. It's what we were created to do.

    Blessings to you and to your great ministry!

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  6. Kris, your ministry is so beautiful and blessed. You are reaching out in a way that so many are uncomfortable doing, even though we still should. Thank you for what you do! The poem was wonderful!

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