We all will encounter situations when a friend or family member will ask us for money. Here is how one person responded.
“The good man takes pity and lends”, says Psalm 111. So when a friend of mine asked me to lend him $50 because a check had arrived late, I knew what I had to do.
But how to do it? Lending money and borrowing money are good ways of losing friends. Here’s the solution that leapt into my mind at that moment. It worked then, and I’ve told other people about it, and it seems to work for them too.
The trouble with lending is that the money needs to be paid back. If he doesn’t pay, has he forgotten, or is he temporarily unable to pay, or is he cynically gambling that I won’t remember? If he has genuinely forgotten, and I tactfully don’t remind him, it will be awkward in a year’s time when neither of us can remember whether he’s paid me back or not. If he can’t pay, and I do remind him, I will cause trouble and embarrassment. And so it goes on…
I didn’t lend him the money. I told him: “Here is a gift of $50. I shall make up for that gift by giving $50 less to church collections over the next month or two. When you are ready to repay me, don’t pay me, but give £50 extra to a church collection”.
So I get paid back without any worries. My friend pays back to God whenever he is able to do so. I don’t need to worry about when he’ll do it or whether he’ll do it: that is between him and God and it’s none of my business.
My friend got his money and our friendship survived.
“The good man takes pity and lends”, says Psalm 111. So when a friend of mine asked me to lend him $50 because a check had arrived late, I knew what I had to do.
But how to do it? Lending money and borrowing money are good ways of losing friends. Here’s the solution that leapt into my mind at that moment. It worked then, and I’ve told other people about it, and it seems to work for them too.
The trouble with lending is that the money needs to be paid back. If he doesn’t pay, has he forgotten, or is he temporarily unable to pay, or is he cynically gambling that I won’t remember? If he has genuinely forgotten, and I tactfully don’t remind him, it will be awkward in a year’s time when neither of us can remember whether he’s paid me back or not. If he can’t pay, and I do remind him, I will cause trouble and embarrassment. And so it goes on…
I didn’t lend him the money. I told him: “Here is a gift of $50. I shall make up for that gift by giving $50 less to church collections over the next month or two. When you are ready to repay me, don’t pay me, but give £50 extra to a church collection”.
So I get paid back without any worries. My friend pays back to God whenever he is able to do so. I don’t need to worry about when he’ll do it or whether he’ll do it: that is between him and God and it’s none of my business.
My friend got his money and our friendship survived.
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