Pass them by. Ignore them. Loose eyesight. They don’t exist. Street people shake our emotional branches, and if we take notice at all, a twinge of guilt surfaces. We don’t know who is in need and who isn’t. It’s quite a dilemma. And so, they ask. How we respond is telling. Now, we may not be able to give what they are asking for, but there must be an opening by which we can figure something out to be of service.

There is a need to go deep, find our true selves, and be human. To have loving kindness for ourselves – we are at peace now. Guilt evaporates, and we are then in communion and compassionate with everyone we meet. Self-interest is a mirage; there’s nothing there to quench a thirst; egotism cuts us off from others and God.

In God’s world we give that loaf of bread to the one in need.

Sometimes, we are on the other end and need to ask for help from a friend or a neighbor, and many times, we send out a call for help to God. However, there is a caveat to consider. What are we asking for, and are we willing to accept the answer? An unseen surprise for us is when we keep asking; now we are in conversation with God, and there is a side-effect: we are more likely to befriend people we meet and not sin against them.

Here is low-hanging fruit. Enjoy the sweetness, so we may never have to say, ‘I cannot get up to give you anything.’

Prayer

Give ear to my words, O, Lord understand my sighing. Attend to the sound of my cry, my king and my God! For to you, I will pray, Lord, in the morning, you will hear my voice; in the morning, I will plead before you and wait. (Psalm 5:2-5)