Learning to Give

I've been reading a book called "Blue like Jazz" by Donald Miller for the past few weeks. I have read all of his other books and for some reason just hadn't read this one yet so I decided to dive in on it at the end of last month. Just the other day I read something that really impacted me and got me to thinking again. Donald was recounting a story about a friend of his who firmly believes that being a Christian has little to do with what you believe and more to do with what you actually live out and do. So if you say you are a Christian but no one could tell by your actions then you aren't really a Christian. That hit me kind of hard.
Yesterday I was walking around Washington D.C. and came across numerous homeless people and my spirit was really uneasy about it. One gentleman in particular asked me if I had any spare change and I told him without pause that I didn't and walked on my merry way. Almost immediately afterward I thought to myself, " Now why did you do that, you have some cash you could have given him." So I decided and asked God to let me see him again after I came out of the store I was headed into. Once I came out I was thankful to see him sitting on the corner and stopped to talk for a few moments. I still didn't have any change but I gave him three dollars instead. He was grateful and said God bless you and I responded by saying no bless you brother! His smile was all I needed to see. It was amazing afterward to think about why I don't do that more often. Why I shun so many of these people out of my ability to give grace. What is it that has made me so hard to this part of the Gospel? I don't completely know the answers to those and many other questions but I do know that I was grateful that I could hear the spirit tell me to go back and give that man some money! Not that my feelings are the only reason I do things for but I felt God bless me with joy and peace from that little exchange. I was grateful!