Downtown Chattanooga, 11:15 PM…

The day was Tuesday; the time, 11:15 pm; the place, downtown Chattanooga. I had just walked out of TGIF from a mandatory meeting where we employees were to provide some kind of helpful feedback for the general manager – he said he got what he needed.
Anyway, I was walking down the wide, tree-growing meridian of the very well-lit Broad Street. I had only two blocks to get to my car and figured, for caution’s sake, I could keep a better eye open for potential muggers from the middle of the road.

I had not gone half a block when I saw someone walking in my direction on the sidewalk…now he was crossing the street…our paths would cross. He came up to me and spoke so rapidly, he had to repeat what he said several times. He wanted some money to buy food; he was hungry and lived under a bridge. Wishing I could help, I truthfully explained that I had no money on me (a debit card hardly counts as money). Surprisingly, he accepted my answer, looking dejected. I began to walk the remaining 1.5 blocks to my car.

On the way to my car, thoughts that had bombarded me earlier resumed their assult.
“You’re really quite comfortable in your home on the Mountain, Micah,” I thought, “and God has certainly blessed you with many material blessings.”
“True. I am blessed. And I want to be a blessing to others.”
“Do you?”
“Of course I do! Do you think I’m lying?”
“What about that man who needs some food?” my thoughts ask.
“But I don’t have any money to give him. Even if I did, I could have no guarantee that he would use it to feed his hunger.”
“That’s common sense, of course, but?