Dr. French O’Shields At Thanksgiving and Christmas many people devote more effort to help the needy. This is good. This story, however, causes concern.

After years of faithful service the Rev. Curtis McClain, Sr., of St. Louis, retired at age 78. Only months later, he agreed to pastor a Baptist church that needed an interim pastor.

One day a 26-year-old needy homeless man came to the church asking for help. Pastor McClain befriended the man. After some conversation, he graciously escorted him to the kitchen in the church basement to fix him a sandwich. While there, the homeless man struck the pastor several times on the head with a coffee jar, left him unconscious on the kitchen floor and stole his car. The pastor never regained consciousness and died several days later.

When apprehended and charged by the police, the stranger was discovered to be not only homeless, but also a heavy drug user with a previous crime record of robbery.

This, and the frequency of similar stories, presents a real dilemma for present-day Christians. The world has never seen a more compassionate person than Jesus Christ. During His incarnation here on earth, His life was devoted to helping the needy. He commands His followers to do the same.

There was a time in American life when one could fulfill this call of Christ with little or no risk. A time when our streets were safe, strangers were not threats, and those offering aid did not become victims of violence.

No longer. Our society and culture have changed. Some today have no regard for the sanctity of life or others’ right of possessions. They will rob, kill, and destroy to get what they themselves want even at times believing it to be their right.

Herein lies our dilemma. Regardless of our desire, helping strangers in need has become a potentially risky dangerous event. Helping always involves some degree of risk. But now the risk can be extreme, a matter of life and death.

So what do we do? We can’t stop doing acts of compassion. To do so would deny God’s call upon all Christians. Christians are the “body of Christ” here on earth through which His love and compassion are to be expressed. What a hard and harsh world ours would be if void of kind and compassionate deeds. How barren would be a Christian’s life for the Bible and experience confirm our greatest blessings come from giving, not receiving. For sure, the answer to our dilemma is not to stop being caring and helpful. One answer is being cautious and discerning. In giving aid to a stranger we need to avoid putting ourselves in a situation that increases our vulnerability to being harmed.

Also, we can use the wonderful organizations in our community to aid needy children and adults. Refer strangers seeking help to them. Give such organizations your time and financial support. It is a wonderful way to fulfill your Christian responsibilities. They can’t exist without you and the reality is YOU CAN’T HAVE A FULFILLED LIFE WITHOUT THEM!

(Dr. French O’Shields is a Gaffney native and a retired Presbyterian minister.)