This is Michael, and he is a 52 year-old homeless man from Murfreesboro, TN. I met him Sunday morning while at a weekly missions event put on by my friend, Jason’s, church – The Experience Community Church – during which they feed breakfast to the homeless people in the community.

Jason had already told me about Michael & what happen to him the night before. But, I ask Michael to tell me about it himself just before I took this portrait of him with my iPhone. He was jumped by two other homeless people in the area & robbed of all the money he had on him. He went to the hospital afterwards, but they refused to give him any treatment. They wouldn’t even give him some Tylenol to help with the pain he told me.

A few minutes after I took this, I had another homeless man there tell me that Michael was probably lying to me about being jumped, and that he more than likely just got too drunk, slipped, and landed on the side of his face that is messed up. “If he had really been jumped, it wouldn’t be just one side of his face hurt,” the man told me.

Both stories seem plausible to me. But, in my eyes, there was one thing that was not just plausible, but certain: the rejection Michael must have been feeling at that point. If he had really been jumped – well – imagine how it’d make you feel knowing that people you likely knew had jumped and robbed you, beating the crap out of you in the process.

Then, imagine how you would feel if you went into a hospital emergency room looking as he does here, and they refused to treat you – not even wanting to give you something as basic as Tylenol for the pain.

Then, after that, imagine what it would be like having somebody else you knew telling people that they shouldn’t pay any attention to you because you were likely lying to them.

Imagine that.

From what I can tell, most homeless people are homeless due to some sort of addiction or mental illness – and sometimes both. They’re having to live in an environment, around other homeless people with the same issues, that normalize the behavior that keeps them where they’re at.

Imagine trying to kick a debilitating habit when everybody around you is doing the same thing, and really doesn’t want to see you rise above it & succeed. Imagine the majority of society treating you as if you are worthless and nothing more than a nuisance to them and others. Imagine people – your family even – not wanting to acknowledge your presence.

Do you think it would be easy for you to overcome a strong addiction in those circumstances?

I write all this to encourage you to have a heart next time you encounter somebody that’s homeless – to not turn your head and pretend they don’t exist – but to take interest in their existence.