Charity vs Caution

I'm striving to live a good Christian life. I read my scriptures and say my prayers. I take meals to new mommies and try to teach my kids the best I can. But I know that Christianity goes beyond that. It involves helping people you don't know or may not even like. After all, everyone is your neighbor. We've all seen the poor stranded motorist on the side of the road and our first thought is to help. Our car is working, and we may even have a cell phone to call for help for him. But then the other side of your brain starts to work. What if he's not a stranded motorist... what if he's a psycho killer. I have two kids asleep in the backseat. They are the most precious things in the world to me. Do I really want to risk their safety? Most likely this poor man is a stranded motorist, but I don't want to take the risk. I'll let the big buff man who is undoubtedly only a few cars back help him instead. And then I feel a tinge of guilt and the story of the Good Samaritan comes into my head. I wonder if this scenario even existed 100 years ago. Did mommies fear helping the broken down wagon train lest there be a gang of horse thieves hiding near by? I maybe just completely paranoid. I could accept that. But today a 20 to 30 year old man came running up to my doorstep as I was unloading my kids from the bike trailer. In very broken English he was asking for help because two other guys about the same age were threatening him. I don't know what their story with him was, but I live not too far from Washington DC. I've heard stories and saw all kinds of people come into the ER from random drive by shootings and stabbings. This guy looked terrified. I didn't want to be responsible for turning him away, but I didn't know him from Adam. He could have been the bad guy. I thought for a few seconds and told him he could walk the 15 feet though my apartment to the back door, and hopefully he could get away. He was in my house for maybe 5 seconds, but it got me thinking. Where do you draw the line between charity and caution? Or has the news convinced us that every one's a suspect and would really should just think the best of people. As for me, I'll probably keep to the cautious side, and try to show charity in safer conditions.

My cute babies enjoying their Slurpees outside the 7 Eleven.