Reverend Ref +

HOW MUCH??

Do you ever wonder if you are doing enough? No matter what you do, there always seems to be "just a little more" that you could do. And when does helping out cross the line of self-care so that you no longer have time for your family or yourself?

I tend to go overboard when thinking about things like this. I'm continually falling down that slippery slope; whether it is the above line of questioning, extrapolating the worst case scenarios for my first Holy Week as a Vicar, or figuring out just how well I'll do in prison after tax season.

"What brought this on?" you may ask. I received my first request for help today. As in, "Pastor, could you spare a few bucks?" The two of us had a short conversation about his situation. I would have like to have been able to put him up in a motel for a month. I would have like to have provided his meals for that long. I would have liked have helped him . . . .

How much is too much? I couldn't do it all. He wasn't asking for it all. Just a little extra cash to tide him over. I don't know much, but I do know that I don't hand out cash. One of the things that was causing problems was that his car was down to fumes and he couldn't fill the tank -- which limited his mobility. I met him at the local gas station and filled his tank for him. He was pleased and thankful for that.

But still I wondered: What else could I/should I have done? And how much is too much?