When does help actually help?

Today I spent some time in a park and I saw a well kept asian man with a big backpack shuffling through bins in the park looking for something to drink or eat. Earlier on I saw a drunk man busking on Santa Monica main road, playing his heart out to make some cash for his next drink.

My heart really goes out to anyone that is less fortunate than me and I know God teaches us to not judge, but for the life of me I don't feel it's right to give a drunk man money for his next drink, but I do feel I want to give a hungry man some food. I don't know how the hungry man ended up there, maybe he's a drug addict and maybe the food alleviated his hunger for a day, but made no lasting impact or perhaps he lost his job and really just needed a meal. It's hard to know if you are making someone's day a little easier or if you are perpetuating the spiral of destruction - because the Bible has two contrasting messages.

2 Thesselonians 3:10 says: For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Proverbs 31:19 says - Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

So the advice is if you don't work for food, you will go hungry and on the other hand it says to do all you can for the poor and needy. I guess God as great and wise as He is expects us to pray and use discernment when faced with which causes to give to. At the end of the day He also empowers us with talents and willpower to overcome all odds in life, so we can rise up from the worst situations. And that means He can do that for each homeless and even drunk man on the street!
So when does my help actually help?

A meal means nothing - I am talking about the bulk of the time you choose to spend on charitable causes or the financial contributions you make. Come on, let's be real...we all work and study hard to get where we are and I for one want to make sure that what I give back goes to a worthy cause and not into a black hole.

This all reminded me of a site a very special friend referred me to and I decided that these are the types of people I definitely want to help - Entrepreneurs who just need a bit of a financial headstart. You don't even donate money. YOU LOAN IT.

So I have a fire under my ass to start a lending team and help some people who REALLY need and also WANT help. And it can all be done from the comfort of my home on my laptop. Check out the KIVA site.

Kiva's mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Watch this video - it's ONLY 11 minutes long - why don't you make the watching part of your giving today!

PS - Mail me if you want to join my small lending team heathergracemaytham@gmail.com