Just a Beggar

I was just reading in Mosiah where King Benjamin reminds his people that we are commanded to impart freely of our substance one to another. If someone asks us for something we give it to them; we don't question whether they deserve it or who's fault it is that they are in such a predicament. From the perspective of Christ's atonement and our Father's mercy we stand no more deserving than the next guy. The only questions I should probably ask myself is "Will this help?" or "What could I do that would help more?."**

While reflecting on this inspired counsel, I wonder could I live in such a way that I am willing to give freely, faithful in the promise that the needs of myself and my family will be provided for? As a full-tithe paying member of the church I have such a promise, and when the Lord has provided for my needs I am very much accountable for the needs of others. As to deciding how and whom to give to, my dad once told me about a man who approached him for money while he was sitting in his car. My dad, thinking of the probability that he would waste or misuse the money on drinks or drugs or any number of things, declined. Then the man asked again, if somewhat irreverently, "In the name of Jesus give me some money." With that, my dad handed him the cash he asked for. He later related to me that regardless if the money was used for evil or wasted purposes, there was no way that my father could be frowned upon for fulfilling a request made in the Lord's name. In the same spirit, I think it is a better policy to give freely until constrained by the spirit than to withhold our means until explicitly told to give.


**slightly irrelevant aside: When I see a guy holding an "Anything Helps" sign on the corner, I've always wanted to stop and give him one of my sets of juggling balls. It only takes 3 hours to learn how to juggle and it changes "that bum always begging for money outside of Food Maxx" into "That dude you always see juggling on the corner, gee he's getting pretty good, I always tell my kid to drop a dollar in his hat when we walk by." My brother and I have often collected donations even by accident while we were just practicing while waiting for our ride to show up. If we had no job and time to sit by a sign, that is precisely what we would and have in a sense done.