Homeless Perspective

With Julie in school, frantically filling her fixated mind with facts and philosophies, some of what she's learning about is rubbing off on me.  Right now she's finishing up a small writing assignment on the poor.  A subject that I think is easiest to write about and hardest to DO about.  I mean, I can theorize and philosophize up the wazoo about why I think they are poor and how to keep them from getting poorer and what a Christian's response to the poor should be..  But to be honest, I haven't really dealt with it in my own life.  I mean, sure Julie and I sponsor a child in Africa (his name is Shongon)  I think anyone that can save a dollar a day should do it.... but what about the smelly guy outside Walmart that asked for a dollar so he can buy himself a beer?  What about the nice looking lady on the lawn chair at the street corner with a handwritten sign saying, "I don't have a dollar to my name, please help"??  I don't know what to do in these situations, so my gut level reaction is to make a super fast judgment call ("The last thing this guy needs right now is a beer-I'll buy him a sandwich" "This lady is a phony" etc. etc.) and give accordingly.  I, by no means, endorse this kind of perspective.  But it's where I'm at.  My heart breaks when I see homelessness and poverty, but I feel so helpless.

I feel like whatever I do, it's not going to go far enough to put a dent in the real problems of our society.  For those that dedicate their lives to helping the poor turn their lives around- I thank you and I love you for what you do.  But as for my role- I feel it is too tiny to do anything more than to hopefully just brighten someone's day for a little while.

I give what I can not because I think it will do so much for them, but because the act of giving is Christian, and hopefully it will make me less stingy with what I have.  But I'm still working through all of this...