That Good Samaritan story from a week or so ago still has me thinking. What really is the best way to respond to beggars? Am I willing to turn away some genuine cases, just because I know that not all cases are genuine? I can't know what the percentage is - call it 30% - am I willing to give a little to the non-genuine ones in order to do good a minority of the time?
What about the others? It must take a pretty broken-down person to sit behind a sign asking others for money, even if you do have a place to sleep and food to eat. What about the story of the manager who said "I'm too proud to beg" - I think I would have to sink a long way to take that path myself. How needy does someone have to be in order to be "genuine" anyway? What about those who are "undeserving"? Is their need any less because of that? If they've spent their last dollars on cigarettes or drugs, that doesn't make them any less likely to starve without food!
I had a thought - what about vouchers? Coles certainly has them, and a wide range of items are available from Coles, not just food. Maybe that would be a better way of giving, without helping someone with a drug habit. Seeing a beggar throw away food changed the way I think about this whole issue - obviously food isn't the only need, maybe not even the main one. (It also made me quite cynical for a while, but I don't think this the attitude that Jesus would want me to have. He said to give to everyone who asks, so I just need to find a practical way of carrying that out. Coles is available pretty much everywhere, including in the city, so maybe that would work?
1 comment:
Elizabby, I struggle with this very same thing - but maybe we need to realize that "giving" isn't usually about the person in need, it is about us. God desires us to give because it blesses us. Maybe it is just one more thing to think about!
Cyndi (who found your blog thru CHF)
cyndismusings.blogspot.com
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