With the number of homeless people on the street these days, it is easy to pass them by without a thought. I do it sometimes…sometimes I don’t. Over the years I have come to be less judgmental about people and more freely giving. If I am giving I am doing it just because that person is a fellow human being, worthy of my time, respect, and love. Period. No judgment.

I have a lot of people in my life who have needs. And I am the person to fill the need. For a long time, I anguished over this fact and fulfilled my obligations with a suffering heart. I was not good with boundaries and I did things for all the wrong reasons. Not so much anymore. With a lot of counseling and prayer, things have changed. Oh, I still have around me all the people who need me. And I am quite the draw for the needy. However, I now thank God for putting these people around me. I thank Him for giving me the continuous opportunity to show charity. I do it now, for the most part, with a different attitude, with correct boundaries, and with an unconditional love that is freeing! I do not expect much back and with some people, I expect nothing back. I know from whom my reward comes. Thank you, God, for keeping the poor and needy in front of us. We need them as much or more as they need us.

The other night I was at a gathering, open to the public, at which a woman showed up who was clearly troubled. She interrupted a person who was speaking to loudly proclaim: “I need a ride home after this! You people say you want to help but no-one helps me!”

Continue reading the Sheep and the Goats here A Scripture passage comes first then the story continues.