What I Have I Give

It was a frigid evening in downtown Kalamazoo, and I was headed for a stage door to make my way down to the orchestra pit when a woman called out to me.

"Excuse me, ma'am," she began matter-of-factly, "can you spare a few dollars to buy me some Happy Meals from McDonald's? If you don't believe that that's actually what I want, you can buy them yourself."

I didn't have time to consider this offer, as I was only a few minutes shy of running late for call time, and that's exactly what I told her.

"Well, couldn't you spare some change or a couple of dollars?" she persisted. I've read so many books about addicts and what they'll do to get drug money, and I certainly didn't want to risk paying her to keep up a deadly habit. But I couldn't just wave good-bye, either. What if she was actually telling the truth and had little ones at home who had nothing to eat?

"I really do need to go," I said quickly, then jumped out on a limb. "Can I pray for you, though?"

Since I've been cursed out several times after taking this approach with complete strangers, I wasn't sure how she would respond.

She beamed, told me her name, and let me place my hand on her shoulder as I said a quick prayer over her. I asked God to give her wisdom and provide for her needs, thanking Him for always keeping His promises. After I said "amen," she smiled again and thanked me quickly before heading off into the darkness.

As I descended into the orchestra pit that night, I thought of Peter in Acts 3 and the man to whom he said, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give to you." When he commanded the paralyzed man to walk, he was giving him a gift far greater than any amount of wealth could ever equal. Instead of handing him a few dollars and trying to come up with something impressively Christian to say, he used the authority of Jesus Christ to change his existence forever.