What if it's true?

When Nate and I were traveling home from our recent vacation, a man pulled up beside Nate in an Arby's parking lot in Tulsa, OK, and asked him for some gas money.  A family member had been sick, his alternator went kaput, he couldn't make it back home.  I watched my husband talk to this man, look him in the eye, and give him the money he needed.

That's probably not what I would have done.

I'm really good at judging.  I don't even have to work at it - it comes naturally.  "I'm sure he's lying." "He probably just needs to buy more drugs and/or alcohol." "If he would work, like the rest of us, he would wouldn't have to ask for money." 

But as I watched my husband share with this stranger, I was overwhelmed with the passage in Matthew - the one about the sheep and the goats - and I thought to myself: what if God's word is true? 

What if it isn't my job to determine whether or not this man deserves money?  What if I'm not responsible for the use of the money after it changes hands from mine to the stranger's?  What if all I'm supposed to do is meet needs?  

My husband inspired me.  I am convinced God's word is true, and yet I do not live like I believe what it says.  I'm not just talking about more doing, I'm talking about a complete change in the way I look at people.  I am so thankful that God is able to change my heart so that I can believe His word and love people well.

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”