Encouragement
The Right Thing
©
by
Stephen A. Peterson
While driving south on Council Road in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on an unusually hot October, 2003 afternoon, I saw a bearded, middle age man standing on an island leading to the I-40 on ramp holding a sign begging for money or food. I generally feel uncertain about giving money to healthy looking men who beg. My initial thought in these instances is to tell the person to get a job. However, when I am forced to face them, as I did this man, I ask myself, “Would I just be giving this guy money to purchase illicit drugs? On this day, I decided to go ahead and give the man all of the loose change on my dashboard that may have amounted to no more than two dollars at best. No sooner than the light had changed I began questioning myself. “”Nuts!”, I thought, “You’ve given that guy money to buy drugs or alcohol.” Then I thought, “Oh, well! I shouldn’t think this way. It’s the Christian thing to do to help a person in need. Ah, yeah, I did the right thing! I hope!” I am never certain that what I do in giving to people on the street or on the road is really the right thing.
Several weeks later, I was confronted with this issue again. This time by a woman while I was parked in the parking lot of the post office building across the street from the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial. My colleague, Gloria Westbrook, and I were stopped by a healthy looking young woman, “Please sir, ma’am! Can you give a few dollars to buy some milk and diapers for my baby.”
“Gosh!” I thought, “Is this woman shooting straight with us? She looks really healthy. I wonder if this woman is doing drugs. If I gave her any money, would she really buy milk and diapers or am I financing a bottle of Ripple or worst dangerous drugs?” My indecision and trying to size this woman up immobilized me. However, Gloria opened her purse and removed about seven dollars. “Here”, she said, “Buy some milk. I don’t know if this will get diapers. I haven’t bought them lately so i don't know what they cost. Maybe you might get some bread and maybe some lunchmeat for yourself. God bless you young lady!”
“How do you know that she won’t buy some alcohol or drugs?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t.” Gloria responded, “Only God knows if she will or will not. It’s not for me to debate about what she is going to do. The issue is not what she does with the money. It is what I do with what God has given me though.”
At that moment and ever since, I gave Gloria's words a great deal of thought. “It is what I do with what God has given me.” It was though Christ was whispering, “All things are Mine. You are My steward. You are My servant. You represent Me on earth. Who are you to judge one of these the least of your sisters or brothers? He or she is Me!”
Since then, my change goes on my dashboard. Whenever I see a woman or man who makes their request, I recall Gloria's words, "It is what I do with what God has given me".
I really do not know if my change will save anyone’s life or soul. I have learned that this is Christ’s job to do. So why should I interfere? My job, if any, is to look at everyone as Jesus Himself in fulfillment of His command, “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to Me.” (Matt. 25:45)
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