On my way home from church, there was a gentleman in a wheelchair with a sign in FR. Now, there aren't too many beggers here. So i had a bag of food in my car and made a U turn to give him some lunch. I was in the right hand turn lane, so i was trying to read his sign quickly, which had many colors and words on it. I pulled up, and as the cars piled behind me, i asked him if he wanted some lunch. He was talkative and said he wished i asked him to marry him :). He took the lunch and I usually tell people God bless you, but today i wanted to use God loves you. He said something interesting. He said "I sometimes doubt it but i really know that He does" I find these people i have been running into to be so honest, much more honest quickly, then most people i know. Maybe because they have more time to think about just deep things.
As I pulled away, i noticed i was sweating. I am not sure why. Adrenaline maybe. And then i thought of the book i am reading, "A mile in my shoes, Cultivating compassion" and what is said. Sometimes we rush into "giving" without regard to what they might really be needing at the moment. Without asking the Spirit to guide my actions to what this person needs at the moment. And if I am the one who should meet it. So, i don't know what this man needed, because i couldn't read his sign quickly, but i supposed he needed food.
Next time, i will see what they need before i give, so it isn't intrusive or unusable.
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Last night while driving around Quito with the Reicherts there was a street begger - a boy about 10 or 11 years old. When the cars stopped at a light he was juggling in front of cars. then just before the light turned green he'd walk by the cars and ask for money. I gave him a dollar. Not a lot in the U.S. Paul said that's about minimum wage here. So he did pretty well for a 30 second juggling exhibition. Your post made me wonder what are his REAL needs too. He obviously wants money (or his parents send him out to get it), but if he could have what he REALLY wanted, what would that be?
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