The Hope of Advent

Hope can change everything. It’s the first candle of Advent, with love, joy, and peace to follow these next few weeks. Hope is right there with love and faith in scripture, as to the importance for us in God’s eyes. With no hope, people can sink into fear, despair, and basically stop really living. Unfortunately, that’s where many of our homeless people on the streets of Tulsa are….they’ve lost their hope. So, a big part of what we are doing with Eden Village is providing hope for the futures of not just our residents, but for those still living on the streets.

Hope is one of the best predictors of goal attainment and well-being for both children and adults. Research has established that 1) Hope leads to positive outcomes, 2) Hope is a protective factor buffering against adversity and stress, and 3) Hope can be taught and learned.

We believe that providing real hope to our homeless friends is a key component for healing and restoration. Sure, providing things such as food, water, clothing, and shelter if only on a temporary basis is needed and important. But do these really provide real hope for the future of a person struggling with homelessness? Without a home, it’s just tough to have hope.

I’ve heard many in Tulsa claim that so many homeless people don’t want to make their lives better, and they don’t really want a home. Well, I think that’s just not true, to put that as mild as I can. The reality is they have so little hope, with literally nowhere to go to live in a dignified and safe home. They’ve almost given up on their future and have lost all hope.

However, what if we could begin to move hundreds of people off the streets and into safe communities, with a home, support services, and help them build positive relationships with others and with God? And then, how do you think the thousands on the streets of Tulsa would respond as they discover that there is hope for them to live in a home and have a much better future?

I think that hope can be a real game changer. And, it can begin with a home.

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