The laborer's appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on (Proverbs 16:26).

I'm going to be honest here, at the risk of sounding like a cold-hearted, grumpy-eyebrowed grinch (and at Christmastime, too!).  I'm going to just come right out and say that I have some serious issues with homeless people.  Of course, I realize that every case of homelessness has its own back-story, and there are systemic issues that play into the problem (things like racism, educational inequalities, generational cycles of abuse, etc.) -- but honestly, I wonder if a lot of homeless people have lost touch with one of the most basic human instincts.  I wonder if they've been coddled by the culture (particularly in the developed world of the Western Hemisphere, and especially in the heavily-socialized systems of Western Europe) to the point where they've forgotten that their appetite is supposed to work for them.  Their hunger and their homelessness should be an impetus for them to do something about it, not just check out and wait for someone else to do something about it.  Shouldn't it?  Or am I just seeing something wrong?

Here in Amsterdam, it's very common for homeless people to stand outside of a grocery store with a stack of newspapers (an officially-published "Homeless Newspaper" provided to them at no cost by a non-profit foundation subsidized by the government), and they'll loook at each person coming in and out of the store with a facial expression that is unmistakeable as a sort of begging -- even though the concept is supposed to be that they're "selling" instead of begging.  Anyway -- nine times out of ten, these "newspaper salesmen" are men who appear to be relatively able-bodied.  At least, they can stand for several hours at a time, and they can at least manage to carry a stack of newspapers.  So why on earth, I wonder, would they spend their time and energy standing there, in front of the grocery store -- when they could be working for their income?  It's an especially ironic situation when the supermarket has a posting on the front window, soliciting new employees just a couple of meters away from where the homeless man is standing with his stack of homeless newspapers!  How does this happen?  How could these situations play out differently?

It may be an old-fashioned way of thinking about things, but I believe that a person should be given an opportunity to work for his income, whenever possible.  A laborer's appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.  Of course, the New Testament makes it clear that we are supposed to live lives of extravagant grace, mercy, and compassion -- particularly in regards to caring for the poor.  But it also says that work is a good thing.  In 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, it says, "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.  For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.  We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.  For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'"  Naturally, we need to be careful about making sweeping global statements (or assumptions); still, it seems that there is something wrong when a man's hunger is not driving him on to do something about it.

What do we actually do about these problems?  I don't know.  I suppose we continue applying grace and compassion as much as possible.  But perhaps part of the solution is building relationships with homeless people, so that there can be some opportunity for challenging them in their situation and holding them accountable to their own appetites.