Every once in a while in a conversation with a person I'm chatting with in Emerald City, a series of words that my mind has never thought before will pop out of my mouth with perfect timing. The first obvious time this happened was on August 13, 2017. It was a warm Sunday morning when I saw "Lauren" walking to her abandoned house that she was calling home. Here's what I wrote about that encounter and the words that popped out of my mouth by way of the Holy Spirit.
There have been other moments along the way when just the right words popped out of my mouth at just the right time. As with my words to Lauren, the statement I made to "Demetrius" this past Sunday startled me. We were conversing about his situation and his growing frustration with continuing to be there. I looked at him and said: "You Can't Live Here Forever but You Can Die Here Forever." Demetrius and I both paused in our conversation for a moment to simultaneously and independently ponder what I just said. Speaking only for myself here, it was a moment where I startled myself.
"You Can't Live Here Forever but You Can Die Here Forever."
No one lives in these bridge communities forever. They move on by way of jail time or entering detox and working on recovery. Others continue their lifestyle somewhere else within the general area or move way far away. They don't live there forever.
Many people don't survive their addiction. Of the three people who I've come to know within Emerald City who I know have died, each represents a 'category' so to speak of how people die as a result of addiction.
- Overdose: This is the most obvious way people die from their addiction. I don't need to tell you of the pandemic we are in.
- Medical Condition: Life on the streets is hard on the body in ways that are secondary to the addiction itself. Pneumonia, diabetes, epilepsy, wound infections and more are examples of how people die on the streets or in local hospitals. "Terri" was the first person I knew who died as a result related to her addiction and it was due to a medical condition brought on by living outside under a damp bridge through the winter.
- Violence: I was introduced to this way to die forever just last week when I learned of the rape and murder of a woman who I had met 24 hours earlier. The next day, she was on a 'date' and never came home. See the section heading "In Memoriam" in this blog carrying the same title.
Intellectually, these intelligent men and women who I love in the name of Jesus know of these three broad categories of ways they may die forever. As I've pointed out in various blogs, there is a war going on within these people who are just like you and me in so many ways. It is a war that is trying to keep them addicted. Here are two of those blogs:
Dear Friends,
If you are reading this and you are addicted and homeless, please know that you are loved in the Name of Jesus. Please reach deep into your soul to find the determination to move toward the healing and wholeness that wants to evict your current troubles and move back into your life. Please determine to do what it takes to find healing and not live where you are forever. Please determine to rearrange life so as not to die there forever. You are not alone in this journey. You are loved in the Name of Jesus.
Sincerely,
Chris
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