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So I have this ever-evolving philosophy. While I, like most people, have had a heart for those less fortunate, I’ve often allowed my “busy-ness” to keep me from engaging in any type of service to those in need. I’m an emotional type of person. I’ll go to a movie, see a show, read a book and feel compelled to “do something about it.” I get excited about effecting change in a fallen world. Naturally, as the impact wears off and I get back to the grind of running the restaurant and of opening a new one, I do little to nothing. It’s an interesting problem. The natural solution is to become hardened to heartbreaking things. I could simply decide to stop allowing myself to be angered by injustice and saddened by pain. I’m not okay with that. Instead, I’ve been waking up to this idea of using my resources in conjunction with the work I already do to care for others. I don’t have to drop my pursuits and move to Africa. In fact, if we all did that type of thing we’d leave a terrible mess at home. I can do a better job of being deliberate in how I care for my staff. I can use my position as an employer to give hope and relationships and love to a staff full of people who need those things. I’m working at doing this.
I recently heard about John 3:16’s desire to add some beds downtown. Every night, John 3:16 is forced to use a lottery system to decide which of our city’s homeless can stay inside the mission and which are left outside. Adding some beds would allow the mission to care for dozens more people. Notably, the mission’s services for women are limited right now due to a severe lack of space. There are those in the downtown area that are holding up the process of the mission expanding. They erroneously believe that expanding services to the homeless will somehow impede the progress of our downtown’s development. Consequently, a system of appeals and legal wrangling is temporarily handcuffing the mission, and therefore keeping human beings from shelter.
As many of you know, I am in the process of opening our new store in the heart of downtown. As a restaurant owner, the issue of homelessness affects me. In a city where so many of our citizens are not accustomed to encountering pan-handlers, a trip to downtown confronts them with an unwelcome new experience. Homelessness, therefore, can affect my business. I refuse to let my business pursuits trump my desire to care for those in need, so I have to ask myself “How can I use what I have to make a difference?” Through my personal journey, I’ve had the privilege of meeting with Steve Whitaker, the executive director of John 3:16. Steve and I have talked several times at length about Tulsa’s homeless and how we can better serve them. He’s also educated me about the common misconceptions regarding homelessness and is helping me to understand ways that I can use my resources to truly care for those in need. I encourage you to explore how you can make a difference where you are, with what you’ve got. Don’t allow the things that break your heart to escape you. I have found this process to be very rewarding. It adds a new purpose to what I do and an excitement to my days that I could not have anticipated.
So, in closing, what’s your cause? I’d love to hear it.
