There are many people here in Tbilisi, who beg for money. There are a lot of "gypsies", women with babies, people with disabilities or deformities, and there are especially a lot of older people. I think it's attributed to the fact that the pensions here (and I'm sure other places as well), are horrifically small, and many elderly people are unable to work because of physical ailments. So, their last resort is to beg for money.
And a couple of weeks ago I was walking down the street and I saw ahead of me, an old lady who was doing just this outside of a clothing store. She was hunched over on her cane, and she held her hand out in such a way as to beckon people to come and contribute. Some people were moved to compassion and gave her the leftover change in their pants pocket or after their purchase. But many walked by without paying any attention.
I wasn't sure whether or not I should give money, so I asked God, "Lord, what do You want me to do? Should I give her money? How much?". And I walked more, waiting for an answer. I didn't hear anything, so when I came near I stopped and tried to communicate with her the best that I could, in broken, or rather, destroyed Georgian and Russian language. She was hard of hearing and didn't understand me, so I just patted her arm and kept walking. But then I was thinking again, "Lord, if You want me to give money to her, I totally will...just please tell me what you want me to do!" I didn't hear anything. But I felt like I should just give her something, so I went back and gave 2 lari, turned back around and started walking again. But then I asked AGAIN, "Lord, if You want me to give more money to her I will! Just PLEASE tell me how much!" And then I got an answer.
I felt like God asked ME a question (an interesting reversal), "What do you WANT to give to her?" Hmm...
So, I went back to her, gave her the rest of the money that I had in my pocket, tried to tell her to buy healthy food so she can be strong, and then continued on my way.
You may feel free to conclude your own moral of the story, but I wanted to share this experience with you!
And a couple of weeks ago I was walking down the street and I saw ahead of me, an old lady who was doing just this outside of a clothing store. She was hunched over on her cane, and she held her hand out in such a way as to beckon people to come and contribute. Some people were moved to compassion and gave her the leftover change in their pants pocket or after their purchase. But many walked by without paying any attention.
I wasn't sure whether or not I should give money, so I asked God, "Lord, what do You want me to do? Should I give her money? How much?". And I walked more, waiting for an answer. I didn't hear anything, so when I came near I stopped and tried to communicate with her the best that I could, in broken, or rather, destroyed Georgian and Russian language. She was hard of hearing and didn't understand me, so I just patted her arm and kept walking. But then I was thinking again, "Lord, if You want me to give money to her, I totally will...just please tell me what you want me to do!" I didn't hear anything. But I felt like I should just give her something, so I went back and gave 2 lari, turned back around and started walking again. But then I asked AGAIN, "Lord, if You want me to give more money to her I will! Just PLEASE tell me how much!" And then I got an answer.
I felt like God asked ME a question (an interesting reversal), "What do you WANT to give to her?" Hmm...
So, I went back to her, gave her the rest of the money that I had in my pocket, tried to tell her to buy healthy food so she can be strong, and then continued on my way.
You may feel free to conclude your own moral of the story, but I wanted to share this experience with you!
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