Cookie Are Harmless

So yesterday I had the following experience:

During work I was given a few giant cookies, yippe! I saved them to bring them home and share them with Lars. On my way home while at a stop sign there was a homeless guy holding out a sign asking for food. Now I don't have much and can be a very selfish person, but I had a cookie and honestly it was a flavor I didn't care for, oatmeal. So I rolled down my window and gave the guy the cookie and he seemed very grateful for it. Then the light turned green so I kept driving along my merry way feeling pretty good about myself. Then the car behind me pulled up next to me at the next stop sign and honked and asked me to roll down my window. I did so thinking there was something wrong. This guy then yelled at me for giving the homeless guy food. He told me that his roommate is a college graduate and is working at Walmart with other people that are in wheel chairs. He told me that I should be ashamed for enabling the homeless guy by giving him food. He said that homeless people need to get jobs and people like me keep them from doing that. I argued with the guy for a moment about showing kindness regardless of the situation and then decided he wasn't worth arguing with because he started to yell even more as I talked so I rolled up my window and looked forward and shook my head until the light turned green.

This guy ticked me off. But I wasn't going to let him kill my good mood so here are my thoughts.

It was just a cookie. I don't think giving a homeless person a cookie will enable them to never work. Besides that my motives weren't completely honorable because I gave away something I didn't even like. It would have been more of a sacrifice if it were chocolate chip or snicker doodle. But oatmeal...who cares!

Besides that who are we to judge their situation.I recently became acquainted with a lady and her daughter who decided to move into a shelter and become homeless not because she wanted to but because there is no money and the job market is saturated. This lady is very smart and educated so not all homeless people are manipulators, they are human like the rest of us just trying to survive. Even if someone wanted to work maybe they couldn't find a job. We just don't know the whole truth of peoples lives and we probably never will in this life. So until then we should show Christ like love and serve each other. I am not saying we should give to every homeless person we see everyday on every corner. I usually give if I have change in my pocket or happen to have food in the car. Friday I just happen to have a cookie I was probably going to throw away anyway so the opportunity presented itself to give it to someone else and I put it together and acted upon it.

I am Christan and I believe in showing love and kindness regardless of the situation. It is not my place to judge whether or not the homeless guy really needs help or not. Judge not lest be judged. Our scriptures say to help the poor. I saw an opportunity to help someone, despite how small the cookie was, so I helped him. To me it didn't mean much, but to the homeless guy it might have meant a lot.

Charity is the pure love of Christ and to me that means giving service, but doing so without passing judgement. In our church we teach to show love to all and to serve and help each other. I think everyone should adapt such an attitude especially in these hard times. Everyone is struggling in this economy one way or another.

A cookie can go along way.

I know Lars and I are having struggles to find work and make ends meet. Unexpected expenses get us down and frustrate us and getting a hand out from someone even if it is just a cookie would mean the world to us. A cookie in any form can ease hearts and minds. Even though we are having a touch time I still feel like we are blessed and are a lot more well off than others, so why not give.

My point here is we are all living in hard times and rather than passing judgement on people and not helping anyone, we should love and help each other, even if it is just giving a small cookie away... lets face it...cookies are harmless!