"I am asked to lend money to people in need, then they never pay it back and avoid me".

You sound like a  wonderful person with a soft heart. Word gets around the community quickly and other people will ask you for help, after they hear you helped someone.

Human nature is such that people will take advantage of you, if they think they will not have to repay the loan. You and your sppouse need to make an agreement not to lend money ever.

My wife and I were pastors in the early 60's and when we lent money, the people did not pay. They figured that a Pastor would never sue them or take them to court, so they would not have to repay the loan. These people felt guilty not paying the loan, and stayed away from us. We lost both the money, and the opportunity to help those people.

We decided that we would not ever lend money.

There are ways to help people in need without making a loan.

• First you have to set your own personal priorities.
• What is the state of your own personal budget?
• Do you have excess funds available.
• It is your duty to first take care of your wife and children.
• The second priority is to your parents, supposing you have the money  to help them.
• People in the community are not family and you do not have to lend just becuase you are asked to do so.

We developed a Policy

  If we had money we could  'GIVE', we considered the circumstances. Are these people really in need, or do they just want something they do not have the money for?

If we felt it was a real need, both of us had to first agree together to do it. Then we gave the money to them and told them it was a gift, they did not need to pay it back.

Sometimes a recipient of that gift, would later give us back the money we gave them. We would accept this if it was the full amount we had originally given them. If they offered to repay some of the money and not the entire amount, we reiterated that we had made them a gift, and did not expect repayment. That would not endanger our connection to the one we had helped. This enabled us to keep good social connections, and if given back the money, we could use it to help another person.

That is the real Christian way to handle requests for a loan. The Bible says we should give, but has many cautions about lending.

In Luke's gospel Jesus was talking about enemies, and spoke of giving, and lending. In talking of lending he said:

Luke 6:35 "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again"

In other words if you lend money, with interest as the word is used in the Greek, do not even expect repayment. But when you are approached by a friend, or fellow Christian, it is wiser to give, and maintain your relationship with that person or persons.

Relationships with people are more important than repayments.

Think about it!