Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.  Do not say to your neighbor, 'Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow' -- when you now have it with you. (Proverbs 3:27-28)

The ol' "Wait and See" technique is a classic pastors' trick -- though you could just as easily say that it's a classic human trick.  You're in a group setting, buzzing around like a social/spiritual bumblebee in a field of social/spiritual clover.  You're trying to be kind and personable with as many as possible -- but also as brief as possible, since there is after all a whole field of nectar to be gathered and pollen to be distributed.

And then someone looks at you, with a very sincere look in their eye, and asks:  "Hey, you got a minute?"

You can tell from the look on their face that it's going to be more than a minute's worth of conversation.  They've got something heavy on their heart that they need to process and pray through.  Or they've got a complaint about something that's been bothering them, and they need to get it off their chest.  Or they've got some brilliant idea that needs to be considered, decided upon, and executed as soon as possible.  You size them up in the moment and you can tell that they want to cozy up and chat with you for the next two-and-a-half hours -- laughing and crying and drinking tea and snuggling up with blankets across the laps... And it's not that you don't care about that person in that moment.  You just don't have the kind of time and energy that they're asking for in that moment.

So you put on your best "compassionate pastor" face, you look at them with large, milky eyes, and you say, "I see.  Yes, hmmm... Your situation is very important to me.  Do you think we could schedule a separate time to sit down and talk about things together?"

This approach has a number of advantages such as (1) buying you some time to continue your social/spiritual pollination in the moment, (2) immediately filtering out those who just want to borrow your ear as it's convenient  from those who genuinely want to talk, and (3) keeping you looking very compassionate and pastorly.  And in certain situations, it seems to be a good trick to keep up your sleeve.  But here's the problem:  such a "Wait and See" approach is not always the most godly thing to do.  Nor is it the most loving.

Whenever we get to a point where we start devising clever systems to make life or business or ministry easier -- it seems that something will come along, like Proverbs 3:27-28, which reminds us that the life of faith is not mechanistic or easily reducible.  "Dang that whole Holy Spirit thing!" you might be tempted to say (I know I have).  But the fact of the matter is that we have to live prayerfully, subjecting every situation and every conversation to consultation with God.  In the moment when someone is asking for action or interaction of me -- I need to pause, pray (though this can be quietly, with eyes open), assess what is really and truly being asked of me, and then take steps to respond in the most compassionate, appropriate, God-motivated way.  Even if this is not the most convenient way.  Yes, sometimes I'll end up needing to set up a separate time for a separate conversation at a different point in the week.  But sometimes, I'll need to seize the moment, consider what good I can bring to those who need it and deserve it in that moment, and then follow through.

It's a faith thing.  An irreducible thing, and not an easy thing.  But it's a good thing, and I'd like to make it something of a rule to live by (so help me God).