As I was filling the gas tank on our pickup at a very busy truck stop in Kentucky yesterday, a young woman approached me and asked for gas money. I assumed she wasn't really needing gas money and was simply begging so I lied and said I had no cash.
As it turned out, she did have a car and it was parked on the opposite side of my pump. My wife and I were taking time to fill our gas tank, walk the dog and take care of potty business. During all of this I watched this young woman as she approached people at other pumps and presumably get turned down by them as well. Her empty car was still parked at the pump as she continued to try and raise money.
As I drove that afternoon and evening after being approached by this woman, I began to wonder what was this woman's story. I certainly could have chosen to be charitable, but in that quick moment when she approached me I was quick to say no and she was quick to move on.
Would I have believed her story had she been willing to share it? Would I have been patient enough to listen? Is it any of my business to know her story before deciding to be generous? Why wasn't I more of a Christian in the moment she approached me?
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