Written by Richelle Thompson
Luke 14:13-14 (NRSV) But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
My son came home with empty pockets after his first no-parents outing with friends. When I asked about the change from the convenience store, he said he had given it to the cashier. Mom, he said, she looked like she needed it more than me.
Nearly every day, I see people asking for money or food or work. When my children are with me, they always admonish me to give, even if we just helped another person a block earlier. I know it’s not possible to give to every person on the street who asks. Many social workers say that this is not even the best way to help, that my money would be better spent in donations to charities that work for long-term solutions.
But I pray to be like my son, to listen to the still, small voice, and when the urge to give doesn’t go away, to respond in generosity and with good spirit.
Let not the needy be forgotten, O Lord. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Amen.
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