Social Responsibility.

I'm kind of stuck with some issues of my own. About a year ago, I lent my friend about $2,000. You might ask me "WHY??" because $2,000 is a lot of money for a guy like me to be lending somebody else. What's worse, I lent it to a friend who I didn't even know well, and, I didn't even manage to find out what that friend of mine needed the money for.

Kind of stupid right? Many people have been telling me that it was not a very smart thing to do, because what are the chances of me getting back the money? Well, in my defense, all I can say is that I think he really needed it for something important. I tried asking that friend about it, he just told me "personal matters". Guess I got to respect his privacy? No sense right? If I'm lending him money, he should at least have the courtesy to tell me what it's for. Because, if it was used for gambling, I would not even think of lending him in the first place. But I figured it was probably for school fees, because he had just got into NUS.

Anyway, he returned me $300 a few months ago when I asked him to because I needed the money to upgrade my computer. So I think he's a pretty reliable guy I guess. But this doesn't end here. Just about a month ago, I bumped into my secondary school friend at some supper place. We chatted for a while and exchanged numbers. A few days later, he sent me a message asking to borrow $300 for a mission trip. How can I say no? I mean, it's for a mission trip and deny him the chance of going for one would be a disadvantage to him right? So I agreed.

Looking back, perhaps I was too rash on my part. Because I didn't even bother to find out whether what he was telling me was true. I don't know if he did go for the mission trip in the end, or if there was even a mission trip organised by his church. Oh well, I'm too trusting I guess.

So right now, I have a total of $2,000 with other people. The guy who borrowed $300 from me has yet to repay me. I tried asking him recently, but he just gave excuses. Don't know whether to believe him, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm kind of stuck now in this situation and don't know whether it will all turn out good.

In Exodus 22:25- 27 it says, "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. 26 If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, 27 because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate."

Yup, I am charging no interest because I feel it's just wrong to do so. However, how does this gain me at all? Right now I'm just worried over whether I will get the money back. Zzz... what have I done to deserve this. I was only trying to HELP.

God, why do people with good intentions always end up having so much trouble. WHY.