The following is part one of three Christmas guest blogs written by Chad Houck for GivMusic.com.  An excerpt of each post will be posted here, and you can go to GivMusic’s blog for the full series!  As we approach our Christmas and New Year’s festivities, may we be mindful and purposeful toward those who find themselves without a home this Christmas season, and beyond.  Don’t know where to begin?  Check out the 12 Days of Christmas Homeless Challenge and get started!

He Learned Their Names

Now I lay me down to sleep.
My bed will be the cold hard street.
I am not here because of choice.
I’ve lost my face.  I’ve lost my voice.
I bow my head, chained down by shame.
Then along came one who learned my name.

He took my hand and helped me up.
He filled my soul when he filled my cup.
He asked me what I’d like to say
To those who’d never looked my way.
He didn’t ask who was to blame,
He just listened, yet I’m not the same.

I’m not invisible any longer.
My struggles, my story, have made me stronger.
I’m a father, a mother, a child, a wife
A husband, a daughter, a son… a life.
A once smoldering ash is now a flame.
All because he learned my name.

Read on at GivMusic.com, and please, learn the names behind the stories.