What is our responsibility?

What is our responsibility to those who ask us for help? All of us at one time or another have been approached in a parking lot or street corner and asked for help(translation: money). Nearly all of these approaches make us unconfortable. Will this person leave when I say no? Is this person just sizing me up to see if maybe he might rob me? Is this person really in need, or is he just scamming me?

At the church we get a lot of phone calls and visits at the office from people who are asking for money for gas, food, rent, utilities, etc. We have to make snap judgements many times as to whether we should give them something and if so, how much should we give them? It can get really difficult sometimes because on one hand we sincerely see helping those in need as a foundational purpose of the local church, but on the other hand we know that any money given has come from the tithes and offerings given by those who trust us to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us, and we don't want to support the lifestyles of those who are just taking advantage of our good nature.

Sometimes the answer is clear; sometimes we get cussed out when we turn someone down, and sometimes we get a warm fuzzy when see that our gift has really helped someone. Most of the time, however, we give what we give and never hear back from the person who received the gift.

I know that I, personally, have been scammed at least two times. I have been in situations where I have helped someone who told me that they were in a situation and I gave them money only to read in the paper a few days later that the story I was told was the latest in scams to prey on the generous nature of good people.

It is easy to dismiss every request as a scam or panhandler. Everyone has a story of someone who acted crippled but wasn't and who claimed to be stranded on the road, but were just too lazy to work. But something nags at me. I think that we are the losers if we don't put ourselves out there and make ourselves vulnerable sometimes.

More tomorrow.