Yesterday afternoon I ate lunch with my in-laws and Silas at a restaurant along the riverfront here in Kompong Cham.
While waiting for our food, a man walked up and asked/begged for money. I looked at him and shook my head. I tried to continue my conversation but was distracted because I could see out the corner of my eye that he hadn’t moved.
I looked at him again and politely but firmly said in Khmer, “No, brother.” So he walked off and I tried to continue my conversation as if nothing had happened.
A moment later Silas interrupted us and asked, “Daddy, did you give him any money?”
“No, buddy, I didn’t.”
With the same same earnestness he usually reserves for requesting ice cream, Silas then asked, “Can I?”
“Do you want to?”
“Yes, I want to!”
“Okay, take a peak outside and tell me if you can still see him.”
Silas poked his head out and turned to me excitedly, “I see him! Come on Daddy, let’s go!”
So we sprinted about 200 meters down the block until we caught up with the man. Silas tugged on his shirt and, once establishing eye contact, said, “Nih!”, which means “Here!” The man looked shocked to have received money from a little kid but smiled and thanked us.
Silas immediately lost interest in the man and said, “Come on Daddy, let’s run back to grandma!”
As I continue to reflect on this event, I am struck by Silas’ eagerness to serve others. In these types of situations my first question is always, “Should I?” or even “Do I have to?” whereas Silas’ was “Can I?” There is a huge difference between these two types of responses. Since Silas’ birth, and possibly before then, I’ve prayed that he would grow to love the poor and that we would would teach him to do so. It’s humbling to see that God has already answered our prayers such that I’m beginning to learn from him.
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Amazing… and so humbling. Seeing a boy of three live out the desires of his heart, when for me so much of the time it feels like work or duty and my own heart feels so cold. Then again, what did Jesus say about the kingdom of Heaven and children…?
Silas is one special kid!
Yet again, you demonstrate that Silas is head and shoulders above the rest of us. A little prophet.
Cute story.
Though I think you’re short-changing yourself and over-glorifying Silas’ actions. Is it really that you’re feeling burdened by the thought of giving up your own money to the poor man, or is it a rational ingrained fear of nickel and diming your money away on handouts that would go against your later blog entry on the Christian’s hippocratic oath?
I think most people I know at CCFC would gladly give away quite a lot of money on street handouts if they believed that either (1) God wanted them to or (2) could themselves see the positive effects of such an action. I can’t imagine that you’d be the exception. It actually feels so good to give someone something they need directly on the spot when they’re begging for it, especially when they’re appreciative like poor people in undeveloped countries. I think that’s more of what Silas is experiencinig.
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