sharing with those in need

September 25, 2006

ann and i spent time at the mall last friday. as we were about to leave, something unusual happened. ann had just gotten into the car and i was walking around the car to my door. as i reached the door to my car, i was approached by a lady. she was in an electric scooter. she was frantic and panicky. she was desperate. she was in tears. i didn't understand her at first, since i was caught off-guard by the situation. she began to tell me her story.

now, i don't remember exactly what she said, but it seemed to me that her young daughter was taken to the hospital by her mother. this lady needed money to get there. she told me she lived across the street and that if i gave her my contact information, she'd get the money back to me. i wasn't sure i had money in my wallet. at about this time, ann came out of the car to see what was going on. the lady told her the same story she told me. as she talked, i thought about the situation. then, i checked my wallet and pulled out whatever i had. i only had one bill, so i handed it to her. she told me she'd pay me back but i said "don't worry about it." the lady was really grateful. she introduced herself, said "God bless you" and off she went. ann and i went back into the car.

ann told me that she didn't really believe the lady's story. i shrugged. i didn't know what to think. in all honesty, i was a little surprised at my reaction. i used to always be really skeptical about giving money out to people. i'd fall into the common stereotypes of how they'd use the money for other purposes, like drugs or alcohol. as i sat there and thought about it, i looked at ann, and said something like "even if her story was false, the fact that she would need to go about making up a story like this tells me how desperate and sad her situation is."

i dropped ann off and drove home. i couldn't help but think about what just happened. i've been reading through the book of romans over the past few months and as of late, i've been reading about love in chapter 12. a verse struck my mind, "share with God's people who are in need. practice hospitality" (v. 13 [NIV]). i thought about, how, if i were in a situation like that, i'd want people to give me the benefit of the doubt. if i was in that lady's shoes and had no money to see my young daughter who was in the hospital, how i'd do anything i could in my power to get to her and how i'd desperately wish someone would have compassion on me and help me out. maybe that's what helping those in need is really about. it's about giving them the benefit of the doubt. it's about not letting our stereotypes cloud our judgement. granted, i don't think we should be naive either. i don't think we should just do things or give things out without exercising wisdom and discernment. but, at the end of the day, is there really any harm in giving the person the benefit of the doubt? i don't really know. i think i'm still struggling through what it means to share with those who are in need.

i remember louie giglio shared a story about a similar situation in his own life. he was sitting in his car eating some take-out food when a stranger approached and tapped on his window. he rolled down his window and listened to the guy's story. louie gave him some money and the guy left. later on, he saw that the guy had been arrested by the police. did he get ripped off? who knows. louie had been struggling with a similar passage.

romans 13, v. 8-10 continues on about love. it talks about how powerful love is, that it fullfills the law. it talks about how loving your neighbour sums up the other commandments. what a profound truth. i want to live a life marked by a love like that. i want to love people the way God intended love to be, the way love is described in Scripture, and in the way love was exemplified in Jesus' life.