I was walking into the restaurant when this lady approached me. She looked tired and hungry, sweat shining on her dark skin in the noon heat. She walked with a cane and an obvious limp. Her left leg was bent out of shape and she had a bright red hat covering her dreadlocks. I thought that she might be waiting for a ride, but then she asked me for some change.
I don't know if this is a moral dilemma that many people deal with, but when people ask me for change on the street, I have a really hard time deciding on what to do. My first instinct is to just drop some change, but then I start doubting myself. What if they go off and use the money to buy booze? Or cigarettes? Or drugs? Would giving them change really be helping them? Or would it just feed their addictions and keep them stuck on the street, begging for money? (One of my greatest regrets is lying to a poor young girl in Indonesia about not having any money because I feared she was being exploited). But then I start remembering how God always commanded the well-to-do to leave gleanings for the poor in the Old Testament. Or how in Luke 12:33, Jesus says, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor." And then the question becomes, how do I love this person the way that Jesus loves them?
By God's grace and the leading of the Holy Spirit, I made the split second decision to offer to buy this lady some food. I asked her to come into the restaurant with me, but she said that they don't like her going in there. So, she told me that she wanted a beef burrito, I went in and got two steak burritos and waters, and came out and gave her some of the food. As I was dividing it up, I asked her what her name was. She said her name was Karen and I introduced myself as I handed her a burrito. Her reaction surprised me. When she saw the burrito, she gasped and said, "God bless you!" over and over. It seemed like she had never seen so much food in her life. I was speechless. I wanted to say, "Jesus loves you," or share the gospel with her, but it took all of my brain capacity at that moment to say, "Take care," and then hop into my car and drive back to work.
As I was driving, I prayed for Karen. I prayed that God would be her strength and shield, her refuge. I prayed that she would accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior. And I prayed that God would bless the food upon her body, and maybe heal her limp, if that was within his will. As I look back on the situation, I am a bit sad that I didn't get to share the gospel with her, but through this, I am learning several things. I am learning to trust that God hears my prayers, and that I don't need to feel guilty for not taking the opportunity to proclaim the gospel to Karen; God can use my actions as well as my words to bring someone closer to a loving relationship with him.
The more times I encounter people asking me for change, the more I am compelled to give. And the more I read God's commands to give, the more I am amazed at how God frees us up to give. If I were a nonbeliever, it would be so hard to give to the poor because of the potential for my gifts to fuel illegal or dangerous behaviors. But because I know that God is in control, I can give to the poor and trust that he will use it for the good of those who love him, just as he promised (Romans 8:28). And so, I conclude with a beautiful glimpse of what is to come for those who love of the Lord and obey his command to give:
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' (Matthew 25:35-40)
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