Help...

I’ve had a musing rolling around my head. Every day when I go to the drop box to pick up my work I end up at this off ramp where there is always someone with a sign that asks for food or work. Now I know for a fact that this one particular amputee actually lives in a gated community and has a lot of money. He does this begging for work. He also waves his stump at people as they go by. He has a prosthesis, which I’ve seen him wear, but he pulls up his pant leg so that people can see that he is an amputee and most of the time doesn’t wear it. Anyway...I look at these people and wonder which ones are truly down on their luck and who are like this man. There are many programs to help the homeless and there are shelters all over Tacoma. And I think, why don’t they go there? It’s been rolling around my head. Then it dawned on me that I wasn’t being very Christlike. Do they have to prove something for me to help them? How selfish am I? I don’t know their situations. And I should be grateful that I am not in their shoes. We have had to ask for help from the Bishop so many times. But for the grace of God...it could be us. So I’ve been wondering and pondering about these feelings I’ve had. And I’ve come to something...that I am not going to be judged on whether that person actually needed help or not. I will be judged on the feelings of my heart in this respect. My heart is being softened and I’ve decided that I want to do something to help, however small it might be. What I do will be small in scope. I can’t do gleaning right now because of my back, but I can help one of those that are in need at the end of the offramp when I go get my work. Even if it’s just an orange or a tuna sandwich, a bottle of water, anything. Something to let them know that people care. That I care... I can’t give them money, but this I could do...