Twenty Bucks

Stopping at a red light, I saw an elderly gentleman at the corner of the street holding a little piece of cardboard where “God Bless You” was handwritten. He looked dirty and unshaven, his clothes tattered and worn. It did cross my mind that he may have been homeless --- I just didn’t know. Nevertheless it was cold outside and he was braving the cold for whatever handout he could get.

As I waited for the light to turn green, I thought about the twenty dollars I had in my wallet. This was the weekly allowance I had given myself and I was going to use it for my weekend excursion at the movies. But then I thought about a time in high school when I found myself without a home and seeking food and shelter.
I had gone through the weekend without food and I remember going to each local business in town looking for after-school work. Without much success, I found myself almost collapsing from starvation (and exhaustion from all my walking) when I found an overcoat lying on a bench at a local park. My first instinct was NOT to find its owner – though that would have been the right thing to do – but noticing the park empty, I didn’t feel it was prudent to go around town looking for its owner either. I was just thankful to have found an extra layer of clothing to help keep me warm. But as I reached inside the pockets, I felt a piece of paper. I pulled it out and saw that the paper was actually a $20 bill.

That $20 kept me going for the next week until I got a job at a fast food restaurant and I was eventually able to get an apartment rooming with a friend. That $20 probably meant the difference between living in the streets and living the life I am living today.
So back to the present situation, I pulled the twenty out of my wallet without hesitation and handed it to the gentleman. I don’t know his current situation, but I figure if it meant the difference between him eating and my getting entertained, I’ll be glad to give up the twenty bucks.

…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 2Peter1: 5-7