His Name is Steve

This past year I have experienced a dream come true with becomming an adjunct professor for the Social Work Department at Trevecca. Today in class I began by sharing this song by Tenth Avenue North. The song begins with a prayer to God and then the second half is God's response. 

I shared today that the helping process of Social Work is sometimes messy, frustrating and challenging, but we aren't doing it alone. We must rely on God's strength to help others. 

 I love the words that are God's reply in the song: 

   "I hear You say, "My love is over. It's underneath. It's inside. It's in between.  

The times you doubt Me, when you can't feel. The times that you question, 'Is this for real? '

 The times you're broken. The times that you mend. 

The times that you hate Me, and the times that you bend. 

 Well, My love is over, it's underneath. It's inside, it's in between. 

 These times you're healing, and when your heart breaks. 

 The times that you feel like you're falling from grace. 

 The times you're hurting. The times that you heal.

 The times you go hungry, and are tempted to steal. 

The times of confusion, in chaos and pain. I'm there in your sorrow, under the weight of your shame.

 I'm there through your heartache. I'm there in the storm. 

 My love I will keep you, by My pow'r alone. 

 I don't care where you fall, where you have been. I'll never forsake you, My love never ends. It never ends." 

We went on with the lecture and I ended by sharing one of my pet peeves. It drives me crazy when people use lables when addressing or describing others. We do it all the time without even thinking about it. "She's ADHD" "He's skizophrenic", "They are bipolar", "He is diabled"...you get the idea. I shared with my students the importance of seeing our clients and people in general as people first. So instead of the describing people as their diability or diagnosis we must see the person first. I challenged my students to say "The person with ADHD", "The man who is skizophrenic" etc... and to remember they are a person first and foremost.

 I have been challenged with doing this myself and seeing the person first. So this morning after class I stopped for a quick breakfast and to pick up the Contributer (a newspaper published and sold by homeless or formerly homeless people living in Nashville) from my favorite vendor. I am so gratful for the ways the Lord has crossed our paths. I asked how he was feeling since he struggled with pneumonia a year ago.

 How many times do we drive by people, pass them in the grocery store line or even in the halls of church not really seeing them for the person God created them to be. We pass by and we don't even know their story. 

 As talked to homeless man selling the Contributer and the words of the song came back to me.

 God's love is over.It's underneath. It's inside. It's in between. The times you doubt Me, when you can't feel. The times that you question, 'Is this for real? ' The times you're broken. The times that you mend. The times that you hate Me, and the times that you bend. Well, My love is over, it's underneath. It's inside, it's in between. These times you're healing, and when your heart breaks. The times that you feel like you're falling from grace. The times you're hurting. The times that you heal. The times you go hungry, and are tempted to steal. The times of confusion, in chaos and pain. I'm there in your sorrow, under the weight of your shame. I'm there through your heartache. I'm there in the storm. My love I will keep you, by My pow'r alone. I don't care where you fall, where you have been. I'll never forsake you, My love never ends. It never ends. 

 Today I was overwhelmed with the responsiblity I have to share this kind of love with others who come into my life everyday.  

So I guess having this song is helping me to stay fully present in the moment. 

By the way...the homeless man...his name is Steve.