“Don’t focus on yourself. Focus on God.”
I was sitting across from a man who had spent six years of his life living under a bridge in Louisville.
After moving to Louisville in 1991, Robin lost both his father and his grandmother. Shortly after, his mother had a stroke. While trying to take care of his mother, Robin lost his job…and eventually ended up homeless.
But Robin’s story doesn’t end there.
[pullquote type=”right”]“God, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t live like this anymore.”[/pullquote] Robin found hope and truth at Louisville Rescue Mission. He had abandoned his faith in God after his dad died, but still felt drawn to the chapel services at LRM.One night, Robin went back to his bridge and cried out to God. “God, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t live like this anymore.”
Not long after, Robin was accepted into LRM’s LifeChange program. This residential program is for men who are working to overcome addictions, homelessness or other issues in their lives. The program provides these men with Christian discipleship, biblical counseling, job training and a church community.
Robin said he went through the LifeChange program so he could learn more about the Bible. Now he has a job at Louisville Rescue Mission and serves as the manager for the permanent housing program.
“It took being homeless…to turn my life around,” he told me.
Robin said after his dad and grandmother died, he had a lot of questions for God. Why did he have to go so soon? Why her? Why did this happen to me? It was those unanswered questions that caused him to walk away from his faith.
[pullquote type=”left”]It was those unanswered questions that caused him to walk away from his faith.[/pullquote] But looking back now, Robin says he can see how God was still at work in his life. God was using those losses, and even homelessness, to call Robin back to Himself. Robin said he had gotten so used to being independent, he thought he could make it through life on his own. He didn’t need to depend on God.Being homeless taught Robin how to depend on others, although he didn’t like it very much at first. But it also showed him his need for God.
[blockquote type=”center”]It’s so easy to think we can do life on our own. I’m guilty of this all the time.[/blockquote]I get frustrated when I feel like my life is spinning out of control. I try to fix every little thing that goes wrong.
The whole time I was talking with Robin, he kept reminding me, “Trust in the Lord.”
[pullquote type=”right”]We weren’t meant to go through life alone. God is our guide through this life.[/pullquote] Robin’s story reminds me of the memory verse we’ve been teaching the children in Sunday school this month: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6We weren’t meant to go through life alone. God is our guide through this life. All He asks is that we depend on Him instead of ourselves.
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