Should You Give This Guy $5?
If you do any interstate driving, from time to time you undoubtedly see someone holding a hand-scrawled sign at the exit stating they’re homeless and hungry. And sometimes, they include a “God Bless You” tag. What should you do?
In Matthew 25, Jesus says he will throw those who didn’t meet the needs of the “least of these” into eternal fire. These words likely haunt you. You want to be helpful, but you’re not sure if handing them cash is a good or a bad idea. Is this person’s need legitimate? Will they head to the liquor store once they collect enough money? Is ignoring them sinful?
What a dilemma!
There are several “types” of homeless people:
People with serious mental illness issues
Those struggling with substance abuse
People who have fallen down on their luck, perhaps through no fault of their own
Individuals who choose to drop out of society rather than pursue a conventional lifestyle
People trying to take advantage of generous people
Of course, these are not necessarily separate groups, and some people fall into more than one category.
Here’s a way I’ve adopted to handle this situation by providing a small degree of help and also promoting spiritual awareness.
I keep a stash of McDonalds gift cards in the center console of my car and also one in my wallet. On each card, I put a small sticker that reads, “Worth $5 – Given in Jesus’ name.” This does several things. It provides a small degree of tangible help to someone in need while minimizing the chance that they will use what I give them to buy alcohol or drugs. Of course, they could always barter with someone else and trade the card for beer, but that would involve an additional step they may or may not take.
Another thing it does is let the recipient know that you recognize their humanity. Rather than turning your gaze away, you are acknowledging their situation and treating them with some degree of respect.
It also communicates why you are stepping in. It’s easy to do a small act of kindness and. because it could feel awkward, you might not tie your action to your relationship with Jesus. This way, the card does the heavy lifting.
Finally, the card informs the McDonalds clerk who processes it that someone who loves Jesus is trying to help.
Admittedly, this is a small gesture. Five dollars won’t make a huge difference in someone’s life, but it does offer some assistance, an acknowledgement of their humanity, and a testimony to both the recipient and the McDonalds cashier.
I encourage you to consider whether this practice is for you. If you think $5 is too small, you can always buy cards with a higher value or give two or three $5 cards. And of course, you should pray for the person and also about which initiatives like your church’s relief efforts, a World Vision project, or your local homeless shelter’s work you should support. There are many fine social services organizations, but I always prefer groups that address both physical and spiritual needs.
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Do you consider yourself a generous person? Can you think of some ways to increase your generotiy?
How often do you spontaneously respond to needs you come across? Do you feel guilty if you don’t give to every need you see?
What’s the balance between addressing pressing physical needs and furthering spiritual ministry?
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” – Jesus in Matthew 25:40
