From A Fellow Beggar…

I’m trying to reduce the level of hypocrisy in my life.

It’s a tough slog. I make some progress and then I regress or I have revealed to me additional areas of hypocrisy in my life that I had no idea existed.

Yikes.

I am grateful that God is kind and patient.

When I am generous hearted, I like myself better. One of ways I feel more generous hearted is to give money to panhandlers. I do not give money to beggars willy nilly. I am currently not made of money. 

I try to have a few twenties in my wallet. Sometimes I give, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I feel guilty when I don’t give, sometimes I don’t. Parents begging with small kids usually loosens up the old purse strings. 

I wonder if my contribution will be used wisely. Will it be used for liquor or foodstuffs? Am I being taken? Am I just being a jerk?

I often wonder as I pass panhandlers what is that person’s story. How did they get to this point? Bad decisions? Then I am always reminded of bad decisions I have made and I feel chastened. 

Back to the story…

It was early Saturday morning, and I was on my way to watch my grandsons play flag football. It was a gorgeous day.  

On the way to the freeway, I noticed a beggar sitting cross-legged on the ground holding a rather small piece of cardboard that read: “Anything would help”, at the exit of big parking lot to a bunch of retail stores.

His back was to me, and he was engaged in a very spirited discussion, complete with wildly gesticulating arms and hands—with no one. It was a surrealsight. 

I felt a prompting to stop and give him a twenty. But then I remembered I had no cash in my wallet. Honestly, I felt a little relieved, as I passed him in my 2011 Buick Lucerne. 

Then I remembered there was a twenty in the center console of my car and I received another distinct impression to give him the twenty.

It was kind of inconvenient, I had just passed him, and I had games to attend. But I had received that second prompting and I knew I had to do it. I wanted to and needed to heed the prompting.

I quickly devised a work around to be in a position to drop off the twenty. The beggar came into view.

He was still engaged in energetic repartee with no one in sight, when I pulled up to him, rolled down the passenger side window and waved the twenty.

He was in his thirties, kind of scraggly and lumpy, he jumped right up with a big grin on his face and beelined it to the car. I liked and was surprised by his smile. He thanked me profusely.

“Thank you man! Thank you sir!” and then he said something pretty interesting, “Thanks family!” 

When he said this, he was a little surprised at what he said and maybe a tad embarrassed. Heck, I was surprised too, though not embarrassed.

Then I realized that he had actually said something quite profound to me. 

We are family. He is my brother. I am his brother. 

Jesus, I think, was happy I had followed the promptings. I felt better about myself too. Why don’t I follow these promptings more often?

Not only is this beggar family, but we are also fellow beggars, though we probably don’t consider ourselves as beggars.

An ancient king and prophet said something very interesting about all of this to his people when he posed the rhetorical question:” “Are we not all beggars?…” 

He powerfully pointed out that we all depend upon God for everything we have and we all beg God to forgive us of our sins.

This wise king tells his people to help those that stand in need of our help and to give of our substance to our fellow beggars.

He specifically tells us not to condemn the beggar and to lose the attitude that the beggar has brought upon himself his misery, so let him stew in his bad-choice juices.  

Fellow beggars, carry some twenties. Follow promptings. Be on the lookout for family members, they are all around us. 

-Rivers, aka Steve Harris

If this stayed with you, there’s a conversation this week that sits in a similar place:
🎧 [Listen here]

If you want to sit with something like this a little longer, there’s a place for that:
📓 [Journal link]