Encouragement

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GOOD INTENTIONS 244 words

I was on a work study with my seminary class in Central America. We had been cautioned about the beggars we would see and advised to plan how we would deal with them. I determined that I would be prepared to give a few coins each time I saw someone looking for a hand-out.

One day I was walking past a McDonald's and saw a man, rather shabbily dressed, sitting on the wall in the hot sun. He was holding his cup in front of him, and looked despondent and lonely. I immediately got out a few coins and as I passed by, I dropped the coins into his cup. His response was an angry waving of his hands and a torrent of words, which although I could not understand them, I knew were definitely not very nice. What I had done was inadvertently dropped my money into the soft drink he was holding.

Although my heart was in the right place, my actions were not helpful. I am glad the Lord looks on the heart, as he told the prophet Samuel. God's judgments are always fair because He knows our intentions, even though the result of our actions may not be what we wanted. God sees what we mean for good and does not condemn our failings.

Am I as generous in my judgment of others, or do I criticize too quickly without knowing what is in their hearts?

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