Was God testing me?

brilliantviewpoint

Yesterday was an interesting day.

First, I found this Lucky Penny. It’s quite beat up, so I had to inspect it carefully, YES, it was a penny.

The penny put me in a good mood in spite of our cold weather.

I went to the grocery store. I got a basket and headed for the vegetables.

I was approached by a man (homeless?) asking for money.

I was caught off guard. What do I do?

MANY things went through my head. Do I help, but then he will do this regularly “in the store,” not acceptable.

Anyhow, did not offer help.

A few minutes later, this same man approached me again.

WHAT… I thought, “Is God testing me?”

I thought of those fables when the Prince is on the horse rushing somewhere. He sees an old looking peasant woman who asks for help, but really she is a witch who can cast spells. Does he help or not?

This was a dilemma. We do want to help people. I didn’t have any cash with me. Oh, I had my LUCKY PENNY!!

These are tricky situations! That’s why I keep thinking I was being tested…. What do you think?

32 thoughts on “Was God testing me?”

  1. I probably would have given something. The other day, I was approached as I was getting my groceries to the car. I was in a good mood and on my way home. Good buys, feeling good and this teenager approached me about donating for a football league. Out of the blue, and then he asked me, “Do you like football?” I said, “Yes.” I then looked in my wallet and only had a $10. I was intending to give him $2. I asked “Do you have change?” He said, “No.” So, I said, “sorry and moved on.’ Then I asked him the name and area of the football league and he mentioned a school far away. Confused me and made me wonder. But LUCKY PENNY. Were you being tested? I think I might have been, also tested by this teenager. I then watched him keep getting no’s from other customers making me wonder if they knew something I didn’t.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. My recommendation is that nowadays, we need to be careful. There are so many ways to help. For example, a message went around that our post man did not have warm enough clothes. There was an outpouring of help, gift cards to Amazon for him. I’d prefer to go that route. We have a great post man. If we are doing good in some way, that’s what counts.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  2. That’s a tough one. There’s a mom who sits in the parking lot at our grocery store with a sign asking for money. She always has a child with her. I’ll hand her food on my way out and she doesn’t seem happy about it. When they only want money, I think it’s a scam.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. It’s very wrong to panhandle in the store. You should report him to security or a member of management. When I am accosted by a beggar I give them the name of a couple of charitable organizations that never turn anyone away for any reason. “I give my donations to the Salvation Army because every penny I give goes right back to the people that need help and they won’t turn you away.” I give to that one and a couple of others but when you try to refer a panhandler there they become very agitated. they wanted money to support a habit, not help.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Clearly you are approachable 🙂 But I think you made the right call here. Your heart is in the right place, which is what really matters. There is a time or a place to help people in need. This was not either one.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. Monica, I’m not able to cope with that kind of situation. (I have Complex-PTSD, and I would have been a basket case.) So I’m sorry that happened to you. I don’t think God was testing you, if you mean that you wonder if you did well enough. If there was any “test,” it would have been “Did you handle the situation with kindness and respect,” which you did (and that doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not you gave him money). You got through a situation that was challenging on several levels, without any harm to anyone, and that’s a personal victory. Big hugs.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Teagan, thanks for your nice message. Yes, the test was in how to handle the situation. You expect that on the street, but not the grocery store. So, onward and upward. Enjoy the weekend. Hugs back to you. I hope to start your book this weekend. Another snow storm coming… LOL

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. You did the right thing as that person would remember you for the next time. Years ago when I worked in an office building in Downtown Detroit, I stepped off the bus and the “Quarter Lady” would come rushing out of the alley between the parking garage and the Buhl Building where I worked. “Gotta quarter?” she would ask everybody. People just passed her by. She had newspapers stuffed in her shoes in Winter and otherwise wore the same clothes all year around. The police let her be, until she started grabbing people by the arm and shaking their arm yelling “gotta a quarter!” Then she was not allowed to panhandle as it was hands-off if you’re going to panhandle.

    A few years later, we had a temporary secretary come to our firm and she had worked for an estate attorney in the same building. We got to chatting about the “Quarter Lady” for some reason and the temp said “it was an act, a farce and she did scam people for money, but she wasn’t poor – that firm probated her estate after she died.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Linda, thanks for sharing the story. It’s so true, we just don’t know someone’s situation and frame of mind too. There was a good 60 Minutes show years ago, interviewing some panhandlers, and they discussed how lucrative the business was for them. So, we help people, but in the proper way. Hey, snow storm forecasted, probably for you too. Stay warm. 🌺

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. You’re welcome and yes, if only we could distinguish between the legitimate panhandlers and the others. I do feel for some of these people though. I carry emergency money on me, but rarely do I carry a few dollars or spare change to be honest. Years ago I used to spend my Saturday as an errand day, running from store to store for miscellaneous items and grocery shopping, but now I can get everything I need at Meijer, my grocery store, with a Meijer credit card. We may be dodging this bullet thankfully, but we are still in the deep freeze here – you stay warm too Monica.

        Liked by 1 person

  10. The last time I was approached, about 5 years ago outside the farmers market, by a woman who said she needed food, I initially said no, but I felt so guilty that when I came back out I gave her $10. As long as it wasn’t a regular thing, I would tend to give them the benefit of the doubt and give a small amount of money, $5 or $10 as I think it would be awful to be in the position to have to ask. But with so many more homeless people now who also suffer from drug addiction problems, many people have switched to prepaid Tim Hortons $10 gift cards as there is a store on every corner….it’s a donut/food chain…so at least you know it will be spend on a warm meal and/or cup of coffee, instead of drugs or alcohol. I saw one of my customers begging one day outside a grocery store and gave him more, as I knew him as being a decent enough guy, with a lot of mental health issues.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I agree with you, there are times we help, we just have a good feeling about it. Then other times, a warming bell is going off in our head to be attentive and careful. For sure, people need help these days. Prices keep going up and up. I look forward to seeing your Spring flowers.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. There was a time when I would give a few bucks to those who asked, but nowadays so many are looking for cash to feed a drug habit. I probably would have reported the guy just for everyone’s safety.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. it’s nice you found a lucky penny. I usually give food to beggars and not money. Sometimes I don’t have anything and then I feel bad although I am a tax payer and government is supposed to provide assistance to the homeless. I also donate to the church that runs soup kitchens and provides food aid. I suppose we are just programmed to feel guilt.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a reply to brilliantviewpoint Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.