When we are surrounded by need and barraged with requests, it is easy to become cynical and calloused. Living in NYC, only occasionally a day goes by where someone doesn’t ask for money. The familiar phrase “Can I get a buck?” is sometimes followed with a reason, sometimes it’s not. “I’m hungry and want something to eat . . . My car is broken down and I need help repairing it . . . I’ve got a baby and I need to buy diapers.”  I sometimes can’t help the thought, “It is really money for diapers?”

It’s fun to see how God works. The air I gave to the man unconscious on the ground later brought air to the soul of my new friend. The relief work had an unexpected outcome. It planted the seed of release. The fruit would come much later, nearly ten years later, but it blossomed and was beautiful. 

As I saw the man drunk in the street, I thought to myself, Just leave him. There’s nothing you can do. Then a simple question came to mind: What would I do for a friend?