Driving past

Yesterday, I went shopping with one of my best friends. Being the middle of July, the sun is, suffice it to say, ridiculously hot. I'm not entirely sure what we were thinking when we decided to just park at one spot and walk to our other two destinations. You see, the mall, the supermarket, and several restaurants are all within walking distance. Being ambitious teenage girls without a hold on common sense, we elected to simply trek from place to place on foot.

However, after just a few minutes out in the 100+ degree sun, we really started to feel the heat. Dizziness, fatigue, and dehydration were just a few of our lovely minuscule heat stroke symptoms. But still... we marched on.

(I just couldn't resist to add this music video. Sorry for my randomness; you'll get used to it, I promise.) After visiting a friend at the market where she works, we walked to get ice cream, and from there to the mall. By the time we got to shopping at the mall, we were about to collapse. Unfortunately, the A/C in the mall wasn't working too well, so we decided to abort the mission and go home.

On the way out of the shopping district, we grabbed a few waters and went on our merry, dehydrated way. As we stopped at a curb, we saw a man there, holding up a sign that read

HUNGRY

THIRSTY

ANYTHING WILL HELP

and you know what we did?

We drove right on past him.

It's not like either one of us would have died if we'd given up one of our waters. My friends' house was a mere five minutes away and surely we'd have survived that long with air conditioning and one water between us. But yet, we chose to pass up an opportunity to witness to someone who may never have seen God's love in action. Looking back, I ask, "How could I have done such a thing?" In some ways, my inaction made me feel like a monster.

But there's something I've always got to remember: Inaction is just as much if not more effective than an action. As I sit here today, I wonder what made me subconsciously decide to not help someone who was in need. Was it selfishness? Pride? Was I too lazy, too inconvenienced? I claim to be a Christian yet I denied someone of the most basic right of water on a blistering day. Who am I? Who am I really? Jesus said (this is my paraphrase, by the way) that if we help the poor, our reward in Heaven will be great. (Matthew 19:21) Of course, this is NOT to say that our entire motivation for serving others is accumulating "points" to redeem in Heaven. But I think you get what I was trying to say. 

So let me ask this: what actually prevents us from helping people like this man? Is it laziness, selfishness, personal inconvenience  pride? What makes us pass these opportunities up? And even moreso, How do we justify these actions--or rather, inactions--to ourselves? 

The more I thought about it, the more this situation reminded me of a particular Matthew West song:

To be honest, many times I wonder if the people on the side of the road are actually legitimately poor. I always wondered where they got the cardboard and Sharpies from. (It is a valid question, though.) In some ways, giving to roadside beggars is somewhat like an investment, and that's how many of us view it: if we are going to put time, money, effort, etc. into something, we want to know that it's a veritable thing to invest in. We want to see some immediate return.

But think about this for a second.

While I don't believe in the Eastern definition of karma, I believe quite firmly in the Bible's version: 

...Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

~ Galatians 6:7-8 (NKJV)

It's pretty simple; what goes around comes around. (Or, according to Cory Matthews, "What goes around, goes around and around.") If we spend our time "investing" in the wrong things, we won't reap much. But if we invest wisely and through God's lenses, we will eventually reap that which we have earned. The way I see it, if you give to someone like the man that we passed up, you will one day see a return in one way or another. The glorious part about it is this: even if the people you give to are posers, their wrongful actions will someday come to bite them in the butt, and you will receive your reward anyways. ...It's pretty beautiful.

Bottom line: With God, you just can't lose.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all...

~ Galatians 6:9-10 (NKJV)

(Emphases added)

Buy "Marchin On" by OneRepublic

Buy "My Own Little World" by Matthew West