MAYBE! This is so ironic… I wrote the 1st part of this blog on Monday and I said that YES we should give to beggars; it’s our duty to take care of others in need…
BUT just yesterday we had a gentleman come by the church with a story that his daughter had passed away and he needed money for her funeral. Very touching story but our Senior Pastor had recognized the man from outside and had already told us the whole story before he even knocked on the church’s door. Yes, this man had been here before less than a year ago with that same story about his daughter’s death.
Come to find out, our youth pastor recognized him too as a friend from the past who had left the church because of bad influences and ended up with drug addiction and now is going from place to place, church to church, convincing people to feel sorry for him so he can feed his drug addiction.
About 2 years ago I watched a documentary on the Discovery Channel about street beggars in Chicago. They showed footage of homeless people who begged but they also showed beggars setting up the area they worked and when the day was over, they would walk a few blocks, get in their cars and drive home. They reported that some “homeless” people were making up to $300 per day! Craziness, huh?
Is money what they really need?
All the monies that the Church designates for poverty together with government funds invested in poverty campaigns do not make a dent in the need of the poor around the world. The need is too GREAT!
Giving cash to someone in need is at best a temporary solution. I believe if we want to be helpful, we should offer them help through prayer and community. Try to supply their need instead of handing them cash. And help them enroll in a church or government program that will help them not only with their needs but will lead them to a life-transforming experience. If a homeless person rejects prayer, community, a trip to the grocery store, or a bill paid, then you will know their struggle is not financial.
Don’t forget the very wise Chinese proverb: “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” Now the question is: how many of us are willing to teach and care for the poor? Or is handing them a fish the easy way out of feeling guilty?
Josue 