This evening as my son and I were returning to our car after running some errands we encountered a young man. He was asking for some change so he could find a room for the night. Neither of us had any to offer him and sent him on to the next person. Once in the car, we began to talk about what each of us do when asked for change on the street. If I have it I give it. If I don't have it to offer then it is a moot issue, but I feel guilty. My root faith tradition is Christian. Whenever I deal with folks asking for money I hear the words from Matthew's Gospel; "Whenever you did it to the least of these, you did it to me." It causes an internal struggle every time.
My son said that he doesn't give anything to people in parking lots, but will quite often give change to the folks he encounters on his way to University. He told me the story about giving some money to a homeless man who has a regular spot on one of the street corners. One day when asked my son gave the man some money. The man took the money and went a bought a lottery ticket. The ticket won a thousand dollars. The next time my son saw the man, he offered to buy my son lunch. They shared a meal at McDonald's.
I love that story. The image of the two of them sharing a meal of Big Mac and fries warms my heart. It makes the world look differently today. It makes it feel like a better place to live. Thank goodness for children who continue to teach us daily about living respectfully with one another.
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