Helping Two for the Price of One

Published: 21st of September, 2022

This morning, as I stepped out of the Bradesco Bank in Campo Verde, Mato Grosso, Brazil. I saw a man selling sweets in front of the bank. Obviously, this man was going through some challenging circumstances and was trying an innovative way to raise funds. He was practically asking for help.

I stopped to buy a few sweets from him. I bought two small bags of sweets for ten Brazilian reals. I knew I wasn’t going to eat the sweets, but I took it anyway. I walked around the block heading to the nearby supermarket, hoping that I would see someone to whom I could give the sweets.

As I rounded the corner, I saw a woman walking with a little girl about three years old. I said, “excuse me….” and I proceeded to explain to the woman that I had bought the sweets to help the seller, and asked if it were OK to give them to the child. At first, the woman thought I was selling the sweets and said gently that she didn’t have any money. But I explained myself again, and she responded, “ah yes sure.” So I handed the sweets to the child and I’m sure that in doing so, I brought some amount of joy to her life.

This is a great example of how you can help two people or two groups of people for the price of one – by buying goods from people who are struggling to sell it and giving it to people who can’t afford it. In this way, you also help to push the local economy. We live in a world where life is often stagnated because there are products on the shelves and people who need them, but not enough people with money to buy them.

As Christians, we’re encouraged to do works of charity but not to publicize them, as the bible says, “when you give your alms, give it in secret.” Of course, this example that I’ve given is a very minuscule work of charity, and the only reason I’ve written about it is to illustrate a point. It teaches you one example of how you can help two for the price of one.

But in this real life example, something struck me. I was amazed at how promptly a child who was happy to receive the sweets appeared in view. To me, this was a sign from God that I was doing something good. And I think God placed the child in my path as to sign to reassure me that I was doing an act in alignment with His divine will.

This was a small act of charity that has brought me great rewards in pleasing God, our creator. Perhaps you can do something similar on a larger scale if you can afford it.