WWJD?

The other day I was standing on the corner where Kathy picks me up each day after work. There was this guy talking to a student a few feet away from me. He turned to approach me and I thought, “Oh boy. Here it comes.” He came up to me kind of crouched over, apologizing, saying he was embarrassed to ask, but his wife and daughters were in the car over there, parked down the street and his radiator had just blown and could I give him money for them to get on the bus?

As part of his approach he told me his name, where he lived, where he worked, saying he would pay me back triple whatever I gave him.

So now what do I do? What would Jesus do, one might ask.

This has happened to me several times over the past couple of years, usually a sob story about a car breaking down. One time a guy approached me outside an appliance store, asking for gas money. I did give him five bucks and then I watched while he stayed outside the store and kept asking others for money. Then I watched him drive away—right up to a gas station.

What do you do in a case like this latest one? I wondered if I would feel worse or better if I gave him money. Would I be mad at myself for being taken in, or feel better for having helped someone? Can I judge who is worthy and who is not?

This time it turns out he “needed” about twelve dollars. I had four singles in my pocket and I gave them to him and he headed off to his car. At least I think it was his car. At that point, Kathy arrived and I got in with her and we drove off. If she had been there on time, the whole thing could have been avoided, but she got stuck at a light around the corner.

How do you decide what to do in these situations?