I read a blog that I follow this morning.  It’s by a guy named Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing.  You may have heard of this blog.  It’s pretty good.  Anyway, the post I read this morning was about how he had chosen to send $100 each to five people that stated they needed it.  He had them fill out a simple form, no essays or anything.  He acted on faith that the people who responded would be the people who needed the money.  He would chose, randomly, 5 people and send them each a check.  What an awesome idea, right?  Well, apparently he got a little flack from some people who thought that he was reckless with the way that he handed out his money.  The basic complaint was that there was no way that he could be sure that the people he gave the money to really needed it and were not lying.  His basic response was that he didn’t need to verify it.  He trusted them.  They said they needed it so they must.  Read the post here.

This got me thinking.  Don’t get your hopes up here, I am not passing out money.  I don’t have any to pass out.  When I am in the position to, I would love to do something like this but the facts are that I am just not able to right now.  No, this got me thinking about a detox program I worked at a couple years ago.

I was a detox assistant at a place that will not be named and the location will not be given.  That stuff isn’t important.  What is important is that I heard a lot of the same complaints about the program that Dan did about his charity.  You see, people came in and out of the detox all the time.  We had quite a few “regulars” for lack of a better word.  These people came in, stayed for a few days, ate, slept, and took showers, and then left and came back about a week later.

Many people that I worked with were bothered by this.  They said things like, “they are just taking advantage of the system” and “they are using us for food and a bed and a shower.”  My response?  Who CARES?!  The people who would come in and out and back in had a safe place to be for a few days at a time.  They were clean for a few days at a time.  They got hot food in their stomachs a few days at a time.  Who cares if they were doing it for the food and bed and shower.  Doesn’t everyone deserve a bed and a shower and food??

The ultimate goal would be to give them rehab information and try to get them a placement.  Now, if you have ever worked with or been a drug addict, you know that there is no helping someone until they are ready.  Until then you just give them information and hope that they take it.  You can’t force someone to get clean if they don’t want to be.  It won’t stick.  BUT for these 3 days at a time with a 2 day break in between these people are safe and warm and clean.  If you really need the numbers to show that it’s a good thing, that’s 18 out of 30 days that they are off the streets and off drugs.  THAT is an amazing this all on it’s own.

I digress though.  The point is that it doesn’t matter if they leave and get loaded.  For the time that they are there, they are safe.  They are warm.  They are fed.  They are clean(in both senses).  They can get new clothes and resources for food banks and rehabs if they so choose.  That is enough.  Why taint that beautiful reality with the idea that only those who want to do what I want them to do or that I trust deserve to benefit.

Blind trust, blind faith is what helps.  Giving without strings.  Loving unconditionally.  I would ask that you remember and try to incorporate these ideals into your life, if you don’t already.  Not just this time of year when we are all reminded to be grateful, but all the days of the year.  Love is what makes the world go round.  Love is what will change the world.

Copied and pasted from my blog.