Marc glanced in the rearview mirror as he pulled out of the church parking lot, his gaze on Emma in the back seat. “Are you excited about our trip into the city this afternoon?”

            Emma’s eyes sparkled with delight. “I am. I brought all my birthday money with me to go shopping.”

            Tammy grinned at their daughter. “A girl after my own heart. I love shopping in the city. How was Sunday School this morning?”

            “Good. Mrs. Martin taught us the story of the Good Samaritan. I already knew that story, but it was still fun to talk about. We’re supposed to be good to all the people we meet, even if they’re different from us.”

            Marc nodded his approval. “That’s an important lesson. God loves everyone equally, and we should, too.”

            They made their way into the city, parked the car, and strode out onto the city streets. A few minutes later, a man grabbed Tammy’s purse and dashed off. Marc ran after him. His heart pounded as he tapped into his high school athlete days. He overtook the man and shoved him against a storefront, wrenching Tammy’s purse from his grip. The man stared at him, wide-eyed, and Marc’s adrenaline waned. The thief was nothing more than a teenager, not much older than Emma. The boy slumped in defeat.

            Marc relaxed his grip on the boy. “There are better ways to make a buck, you know.”

            The boy frowned. “What do you know about it?” He ran off, leaving Marc staring after him. Tammy approached, huffing and puffing.

            “I can’t believe you did that! He could have had a gun!”

            Marc turned to Tammy. “But he didn’t. Here’s your purse back. Why don’t you put it on under your coat?”

            Tammy took the purse and did as Marc suggested. She grinned. “You’re my hero.”

            Pride swelled in Marc’s chest at Tammy’s words. The feeling was soon replaced with panic. “Where’s Emma?”

            Tammy’s eyes widened as she whirled around. “I thought she was right behind me, but I guess she didn’t run after us.” She turned on her heel to run back in the direction they’d come.

            Marc hurried after her. His heart leaped in his throat when he turned the corner to find his precious baby daughter talking to a dirty homeless person. For the second time that day, he thundered down the street, attempting to save his family from danger. When he reached Emma, she was already walking away from the homeless person. Relief coursed through him.

            Tammy spoke first, after wrapping Emma in a hug. “Emma, honey, you need to be careful. You should keep your distance from strangers.”

            Marc nodded in agreement, his heart still thudding in his chest. “Your mother’s right. Didn’t you see? One of them stole her purse. I had to chase after him to get it back.”

            Emma’s eyes widened. “Wow. Way to go, Dad. But Evan isn’t like that.”

            Marc frowned. “Evan?”

            “He’s the nice boy I met over there. He ran away from home when his stepdad yelled at him. But now all he wants is to go back home again. He needed bus fare to get there. He spent all the money he had when he left.”

            Suspicion rose. “Is that what he told you?” Probably gave that line to everyone who passed his way. “You didn’t give him any money, did you?”

            Emma beamed. “I did. I gave him my birthday money from Grandma. Having Evan be able to go home is better than anything I could buy for myself. He wants to see his mom again. Now he can.”

            Marc squeezed his hands into fists and glanced over Emma’s shoulder. No surprise. The young man was long gone. Emma looked so pleased with herself. Marc wrestled with his emotions. He wanted to protect Emma from people taking advantage of her, but she had such a pure heart.

            “Emma, most of the people on the street are there because of something they did wrong. Either they’ve been in prison or they’re on drugs or they’re mentally ill. You need to stay away from them. That man is probably going to use your money to buy drugs.”

            Emma’s face fell and she squeezed her eyes shut. A moment later, her eyes opened and a sad expression filled them.

            Tammy glanced from one to the other. “Let’s go, you two. We came here for some fun, so let’s have some.”

            Ten minutes later, as they passed the bus station, a beaming young man exited, waving a ticket. He approached, and Marc placed a protective arm around each of his girls.

            Emma grinned. “Hi Evan!”

            Evan held out the ticket. “I just wanted to say thank you again. My bus leaves in thirty minutes. I’m so excited I can finally go home. And it’s all thanks to you.” He reached a hand into his pocket. “The ticket cost less than what you gave me. Here’s your change.”

            Emma stepped forward, out from under Marc’s arm. “It’s ok. You can keep it.” She pointed to the hot dog cart on the corner. “Maybe you can get some lunch before the long bus ride.”

            Evan grinned again. “Thank you. I’ll never forget you. You gave me hope that maybe God still cares about me.”

            That night, Marc sat silently, nursing a cup of coffee. Tammy entered and slid into the seat next to him. “What’s on your mind?”

            “Emma and her heart.”

            Tammy raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”

            Marc nodded. “Today she taught me a lesson. I was more concerned about getting your purse back and keeping you and Emma safe than I was for the young men we encountered. But all Emma saw was someone God put in her path.”
            “She had just heard this morning that everyone is her neighbor.” Tammy bumped his shoulder with hers. “And I believe her own father told her we should love everyone equally.”

            Marc stared down into his coffee. “Yes, I said that. But I didn’t act that way today. All evening I’ve been thinking of another story from the Bible.”

            “Which one?”
            “The story of the prodigal son. What if he had needed a bus ticket to get home and no one ever bought one for him? Our Emma was just what Evan needed to reunite with his family. I’m so proud of her. And ashamed of myself.”

            “Go tell her that.” Tammy laid a hand on Marc’s. “She needs to know you’re proud of her. And perhaps even more importantly, that sometimes we make mistakes, too.”

            Marc’s spirits lightened. “You’re right. And you know what? From now on, whenever I encounter someone down on their luck, I won’t assume the worst. Maybe I can be someone’s answer to prayer, too.”

1 John 3: 17-18

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

God, please help us see others the way You see them. Many people are less fortunate than we are. Please give us the hearts to help them. Please help us see past our prejudices against those who are different from us. Please help us remember what You told us, that we are to show mercy to others. Thank You for using children in our lives to remind us of what pure love looks like. In Jesus’ name, Amen.