A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford
“Grammy!” an agonized voice said over the phone. “This is your oldest grandson. I need your help. My car wouldn’t start this morning, and I got a ride with a friend, and the police stopped him, and I didn’t know he had drugs in the car.” A sob choked his voice. “Grammy, I’ll have to spend six months in jail unless you pay the $6,000 fine.”
The voice sounded like my grandson, but I was afraid the phone call was a scam. Because I really do dearly love my grandchildren, I would feel terrible if I didn’t help if I could. “Joey, I can’t pay $6,000 to get you out of jail. You’ll just have to sit there.” (Bad move, Libby. You just gave the scammer your grandson’s name!)
“No, Grammy! At least would you speak to the officer who arrested me?”
“Yes, I’d like that very much.”
A deep, intimidating voice spoke. “This is Officer Spencer. Joey will spend six months in jail unless you pay $6,000.”
“Sir, will you please tell me where you are calling from?”
“Madam,” that authoritative voice answered severely, “I ask the questions. You answer them.”
“Fine. Just tell me where you’re calling from.”
The scammer hung up. Of course he didn’t know where Joey lived! Still, because I dearly love my grandchildren, I called Joey’s mother to make sure he was all right. . . . and that burden of Christians who love the Lord and want to minister to His people makes us vulnerable to all kinds of scams. But the needs of this sad world still need to be met, and we do want to honor Jesus by taking care of those in need.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and y
ou fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ ”
As we care for people in need, we serve the Lord Jesus. But we also have an obligation to use our God-given resources wisely. Scamming is a fact of life in our culture. We must not let the urgency of an appeal, or a tight deadline, or a pathetic story, trick us into giving money unwisely.
Years ago, in the middle of the night, our phone rang. It was a business man, calling from a downtown hotel. “I have taken off my belt to hang myself. This is a last, desperate call to see if you can help me find God.”
Walt might have been reluctant to help him. Just the year before he had gotten a similar midnight call from a man threatening suicide. Walt had rescued the man, brought him into our home, tried to help him find a job, only to have the man abscond and disappear with treasured family possessions. Might this be another scam? Perhaps so, so Walt would be careful. But he was determined that he’d rather help someone who didn’t deserve help rather than not help someone who really needed help.
That night Walt drove downtown to pick up the man. It turned out he was a prosperous business man, well-dressed, with expensive luggage, and had money. He really did just need the Lord Jesus. Walt brought him home, helped him spiritually and emotionally. The man prospered, established a new business in town that flourished, and he married a lovely Christian woman from our church. Together, they found joy and purpose in serving God.
May God give us wisdom and discernment as we earnestly move to meet the the needs of those God sends our way.