Family in Need

"In the passage where the New Testament says that every one must work, it gives as a reason 'in order that he may have something to give to those in need'.  Charity--giving to the poor--is an essential part of Christian morality:  in the frightening parable of the sheep and the goats it seems to be the point on which everything turns.  Some people nowadays say that charity ought to be unnecessary and that instead of giving to the poor we ought to be producing a society in which there were no poor to give to.  They may be quite right in saying that we ought to produce this kind of society.  But if anyone thinks that, as a consequence, you can stop giving in the meantime, then he has parted company with all Christian morality.  I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give.  I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare."  
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

One Saturday this summer, when we were leaving Walmart, we saw a family of six or seven near the exit in a grassy spot.  The father was holding a sign that said he was out of work, and they needed money for food and rent.  I'm not sure how George reacted, but I kind of looked down with a feeling of disappointment, knowing I had no money on me to give, even though we had just shopped for various items at the store.  We were going to the grocery store next, yet I was carrying no cash.

George and I did our grocery shopping and at home, as we were putting our groceries away, we discussed that family.  I had been worried he would think that the family was not really in need, but I definitely had underestimated him.  He said there was a local restaurant, at which he thought the man was a worker, and it was closed with a bright orange sign on the door.  It had been bothering my husband that he had no cash on him to give them either.

We decided that I would finish putting away groceries, and George would go to an ATM.  If the family was still there, he would give them some money.

George came home and reported that the family had left.  We were both feeling disappointed that we had not given in their time of need.  We vowed to start carrying cash, not for ourselves, but in case we needed to give it away!

The money stayed in George's wallet.

The next day when we were at church, there was a young, expecting couple that was planning a missions trip to Somalia.  They captivated us as they told of God's plan for them to evangelize in a country that is 99.9% Muslim.  At the end of the service, they collected money in baskets to help with their budget for the trip.

Guess who had money to give?

George and I learned our lesson, not just to be givers, or joyful givers, or beyond-what-you-can-spare givers, but to be prepared givers because sometimes the time to give is not when you are expecting it.