My Day with Tommy

Homeless people attend the same church I attend, but I don’t interact with them much. Part of it is I don’t know what to say. Part of it is cowardice.

A recent Sunday widened my view a bit. After the service as I drove home with my wife I saw Tommy walking down an alley. Tommy has been attending the church off an on for the past couple of years when he isn’t living on the streets of some other city. I had greeted him in church that day, noting that he had just returned to Springfield after living elsewhere for several months.

As I rolled down the car window, I did what any well-off churchgoer would do to someone less fortunate: a perfunctory offer of a ride with the expectation that Tommy would say no. After all it was perfect weather and Tommy probably was headed to some nearby shady spot.

“Sure,” Tommy responded. Turned out he was headed miles away with his heavy backpack and he would appreciate a lift. So we threw his worldly possessions in the trunk and drove off. As we neared his destination — a discount store parking lot — I felt the Lord telling me to invite him to lunch. I checked with my wife, who had been off work all week after surgery five days earlier. Of course she consented.

“Want to come to our house for lunch?” I asked Tommy.

“That would be nice,” he replied.

As we pulled in the driveway, Tommy asked if he might use a garden hose to get clean. My heart ached a bit for a man who I’m sure many people felt doesn’t deserve better treatment than a dog. I insisted he use our shower.

I defrosted some chicken, lamb and fish to grill. My son whipped up some biscuits. We made a fruit salad.

Tommy busted my stereotypes that afternoon. He is a great conversationalist and a social guy. We spent five hours talking about his life’s ups and downs. While I felt embarrassed for not getting to know Tommy better earlier, I kept wondering why he lives like this. Tommy, now almost 50, had served in the military. Where did it go wrong?

Others have tried to set Tommy up with free housing, but he wouldn’t do it. He’s not against working, if it’s for a day or two. He will find food and shelter when necessary, but he doesn’t like to abide by the rules of the ministries dispensing the aid.

I offered to let Tommy spend the night on our living room couch, but he said he needed to be at a charity by 6 on Monday morning that would provide free medication.

So I drove Tommy back to the discount retailer’s parking lot, where he found a tree to camp under. He expressed gratitude for the hospitality and food, and accepted a few bucks for bus fare and whatever else he might need for the next day or two.

I got back into my air-conditioned car, turned on the CD player and headed for my comfy home. While Tommy is a portrait of contradictions, the important thing to remember is that he is created in God’s image. I should never despise him.