Help Those Who Can’t Repay You

feed the poor & hungry

'Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor. ' Proverbs 22:9

'Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. ' Psalms 41:1-2

this topic can be a tough one for me. there are times i will go up to homeless or those you can visibly see that they need help and offer to buy them food or a drink, while other times i simply don’t bother. when i’m focused on myself, needing to do something, or be somewhere, i tend to ignore those around me to accomplish what i set out to.

in the past i may have given to people who are on the side of the road, but after being ‘convinced’ that they are simply out there as hustle, i stopped giving majority of the time. perhaps i’m being biased and judgmental, believing some of them are just plain lazy and are doing this only for people to have pity on them so that they’d give them something. and because i feel this way i revert to not doing so.

my other experiences have been at the beach or park. i’d see someone who was eating out of the trash and would run to go get something for them to eat. when i finally tracked them down, they would ignore me and at times became difficult, as if i were a ‘threat’ to them and didn’t want to take what i got and/or got mad that i approached them. this happened several times, not just an isolated incident.

early when doing this i felt strange - was what i did wrong, am i insulted, did i say anything wrong, or do something that offended them? so many questions as to if i should be doing this at all. what i had to do was take a step back, slow down, observe, and identify if this or that person is willing to have a brief conversation - to ask them if they needed help, are hungry, or thirsty. if they do not respond, simply pay attention to what they are doing, and if they seem to need food or drink, simply go get something and approach in a gentle, not rushed manner - as to not force anything on them. what i learned is that if i left it in the trash can, they would come back to pick it up.

in these two passages, it clearly tells us to be kind and feed the poor. why? because similarly that The Lord took care of us when we were lost, lonely, hungry, defeated, broken, etc., He looked at us/me and had compassion (felt sorrowful and offered sympathy), not pity.

what Jesus returns for such empathy and concern for those who are less fortunate and in need is a extra heaping of blessings and prosperity, all the while providing covering over us from our enemies. on top of that, He provides protection to keep us going. seriously, who does not want more of that in their lives. i certainly do and try to embody what is covered in these verses.

dear Heavenly Father. would you help me to always heart of generosity, to not be selfish with my resources, time, and skills to help a fellow brother or sister, regardless of who they are. they do not have to be in the same circle, it may very well be a homeless person that you place in my life. teach me to have eyes that see the lost, hurting, distress, and in need. teach me to have the same heart of mercy and grace that you have extended to me and not out up blinders. may i demonstrate your love with those you have placed in front of me and in my life. in Jesus’ name i pray, amen!