Last night while I was shopping at Target, I stumbled across the Toy Department and stopped to admire some of the action figures. With the new Iron Man movie opening up in a few weeks, there were a TON of Iron Man figures – and some of them don’t look half bad! For those who don’t know, Marvel’s action figures are now being produced by Hasbro as opposed to Toy Biz. This isn’t necessarily a good thing, because Toy Biz had a LOT of good artists and sculptors on hand, and it showed in their work (their Marvel Legends line was quite breathtaking sometimes.) Hasbro’s stuff? Eh… It just looks and feels… cheaper. So is that gonna stop me from scooping up the new Hulk figures they’ll pop out this summer for the movie? Um, that would be a NO.

June 13th. Just two months away, baby. It’s gonna be awesome.

Anyhow, back to my story… I was especially impressed with a Spider-Man set. Based on the 3rd movie, there was a black suited Spidey and a mid-transition Spider-Man (with the black symbiote spreading across his red & blue suit). I seriously contemplated getting them, but decided against it. They were $10 each, and $20 is a lot of money to spend on plastic that’s “neat” but you don’t really need.

I had recently finished reading “The Treasure Principle” by Randy Alcorn as well, and in it he discusses the typical American’s relationship with money, and how we don’t maintain a Godly perspective on it most of the time. Bottom line? It’s not OUR money – it’s God’s. He gave us the skills and abilities to produce the wealth we have, and it’s our responsibility to honor Him with how we spend it. Or not.

Now, I’m not saying buying an action figure is dishonoring to Him (or even idolatry, as some would argue). But when my heart said not to, when I got to thinking that the money could be used to give to someone else in need, it was my responsibility to obey. To say “no” to an impulse. So I did. Then I finished my shopping and started home.

As I drove home, I stopped to air up my tires at a nearby Shell. Before I pumped the air, I noticed a penny on the ground and picked it up. It was a filthy thing, but that didn’t stop me. Pennies hold special significance to me, and God has often revealed His presence when I find them. (There’s a whole story behind the power of pennies in my life, but I’m not gonna get into that now.)

So I pick up the penny, and after I stood up a man steps out from behind my truck and approaches me.

‘Whoa, whoa! Don’t shoot me!” he says jokingly, hands up.

I smile and give him the “what can I do for you?” look.

“Look, man. I don’t mean to bother you, but me and my wife over there (points to his car) are trying to get back to Huntsville tonight…”

“Where?”

“Uh, Huntsville?”

“Is that in Texas?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s down a stretch. So anyhow, we’ve only got $8 with us, and if you could help us out, we’d really appreciate it. You can take anything in our car. Anything. Well, not Melissa, ’cause she’s my wife, but anything else. As for Angela, you can take her,” he joked. “She’s not even mine.”

I took a moment to appraise him. Yes, he was clean shaven, decently dressed and didn’t show any outward signs of addiction or other afflictions. His car was a trashy Crown Victoria or Dodge or whatever, and quite old. Finally, I nodded my head and reached for my wallet.

“Well, let me see what I have here,” I said, opening it up. I had two $20 bills. Crap, I thought. Why couldn’t I have $5? $20 is a lot of money to hand over! I took it out anyway, and his eyes lit up immediately.

I held the money up between us, and paused for a moment.

“Here’s the thing,” I said, looking at him intently. “This money will either be a blessing or a curse to you.”

He frowned, unsure where I was going with the conversation.

“If you’re telling me the truth,” I continued, “Then this money will be a blessing. But if you’re lying to me,” I stared him in the eye. “Then it’ll be a curse to you. Do you understand?”

He paused for a moment, shifting feet, but then quickly nodded his head. “Okay, yeah. I understand.”

“Alright then,” I said, and handed him the $20.

He proceeded to thank me profusely, shaking my hand and offering to repay me if I were to give him a business card. The only card I had was a TeleSpank.com card, and didn’t really feel like handing one out, so I just shook his hand and went back to airing up my tires.

And the guy? He hopped into his car, said a few words to “Melissa,” and then… drove off.

I guess he didn’t need gas money as badly as he thought.

Now, I’m writing this primarily to get it out of my head. When I got home, I told Kim what had happened, and then I stewed for another hour or two, enough to have trouble falling asleep.

I like reading about con men. I have a handful of books on how they work, how to spot them, the inner workings of scams, etc. (Someday I actually hope to READ them.) So when I’ve been so bluntly duped, I feel like an idiot. And I’m sitting here replaying the situation in my head, thinking of all the things I could’ve said or done to verify whether he was telling the truth or not.

I could have asked to see his driver’s license (to verify his Huntsville residence). I could have asked to see the $8.00. Offered to pump gas directly into his car. So many things I could’ve done, but didn’t.

I strongly believe in what I told him, though. Money is neutral, but in the wrong hands, used with the wrong heart, it is, without question a curse. And that man? While I don’t know what he might run into later on down the road, I have no question he’s going to reap what he’s sown. It’s Biblical and universal – we reap what we sow. We make the messes in our lives because of our poor decisions.

Next time this happens, however, I think I’ll have to point out – quite clearly – that the money I’m giving isn’t MY money. It’s God’s money. So if they’re accepting it under false pretenses? They’re not stealing from me, they’re stealing from God. And once I’ve made that element of truth crystal clear – they can have all the money in my wallet. Seriously. If they’re genuinely in need, I’d LOVE to help someone out. I just pray for the wisdom to spot the next swindler BEFORE I hand over the dough next time. Not only so I can save the money to give elsewhere, but also because I’m really not that into letting people curse themselves in their own greed. (If they’re persistent, though, I’m not gonna stop them, either.)

And that’s my story. My cathartic tale of woe and wisdom. I guess the thread running in the back of my mind is this: I felt I shouldn’t spend the $20 at Target. Then I found a penny. Then a guy asks for money. I think there’s a spiritual element to all this, but it’s not the After School Special, “feel good” conclusion I would have expected. It would have been more satisfying if the need was genuine, if I KNEW without a doubt that I did the right thing.

As it stands? I leave it in God’s hands. And I pray my mind gets distracted by other, more worthy things to ruminate on today. I’m tired of rehashing this scenario. Time to move on.

Kevin

Coincidentally, the verse I read the next day:

“He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.”

Proverbs 28:27