Q:
It seems like every time I try to help someone it turns out badly. Am I a fool for trying to help people when they're down on their luck and need a helping hand? I'd like to think it's the right thing to do, but then when they just take advantage of you, it's hard to keep on doing it.
A:
Was the Good Samaritan in Jesus’ parable a fool for trying to help the man who had been beaten and robbed and left by the side of the road to die? (You can read the whole parable in Luke 10:25-37.)
No doubt some people would have considered him a fool – including the men who had seen the man lying there and didn’t make any effort to help him. Perhaps the keeper of the nearest inn also wondered if he was a fool, because he paid the innkeeper enough money to take care of the man for several days, while he continued on with his journey. He didn’t know if the man would recover, or even what kind of person he was – but he still did all he could to help him.
What lesson was Jesus teaching through this story? He summarized it in four words: “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). Elsewhere He told His disciples, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
Ask God to use you in the lives of people He brings across your path. Help them in every way you can – in His name. But most of all, point them to Jesus Christ. Let them know that God loves them, is concerned about them and wants to help them. God will bless you for it – and so will they.