Doing good and giving. Sure thing. But this requires that we see and have compassion for people needing help. District Apostle Thomas Deubel from Switzerland looks at this aspect of doing good in his contribution on our 2025 motto.
Let’s start with a well-known story. A farmer’s wife in the United States had a knock on her door one summer’s day. A young man stood in front of it and asked her for a glass of water. He was just passing through, he told her. He was on his way into town and was very thirsty. He had no money, he told the woman. She invited him in, gave him a glass of water, a glass of milk, and a sandwich. He ate with a big appetite. When he had finished eating, he thanked the woman warmly for her kindness and said goodbye.
Several years later, this woman became seriously ill. She needed an operation, but there was no money for such an expensive procedure. However, it could no longer be postponed. The couple did not realise that the doctor treating the woman was the young man from way back whom she had helped. The doctor, though, had recognised the woman and knew that they were financially tight.
Paid in full
On the day she was discharged, the doctor came to her room. The woman was very anxious when she saw that he had the bill with him. There was just no money to pay the doctor’s bill. The doctor sat down next to her and explained the different items on the bill. It came to 25,000 dollars in total.
The woman began to cry and sobbed, “I will never be able to pay you. I just don’t have that kind of money.” The doctor reassured her and asked her to take a closer look at the bill. And then she noticed the sentence at the end of the bill: “It has all been paid for with a glass of water, a glass of milk, and a sandwich.”
The woman had been sensitive to the young man’s plight. Sometimes it takes a little sensitivity to recognise whether there really is a need, how we can best provide help, or whether a situation is being exploited.
We cannot do otherwise
Bishop Jürgen Müller accompanied me on my first trip to Bulgaria in 2015. When we arrived in Sofia, we visited a vegetable market. The Bishop said to me, “See if you can find anyone who is poor!” We sat down near a market stall and started to observe the goings-on. At first, I did not see anyone who seemed poor.
But then I noticed an older woman in a long old coat. She picked up two carrots, finally decided on the smaller one and put it aside. She did the same with two spears of broccoli and two potatoes. I just had to help and walked over to the stall. I chose from various types of vegetables, filled a whole bag, paid for it, and gave it to this woman. An unforgettable experience for me.
Allow yourself to be touched
Back to the farmer’s wife. If she had only thought of herself, her family, and her farm and all the work, she would have sent the young man away. But she had felt his distress and had allowed it to affect her. We know from the Lord Jesus that He was distressed when He saw suffering. He is also a role model for us in this respect.
The farmer’s wife took the time to help. The time factor is probably not so important in this story, but it can certainly make a difference depending on the situation.
Two good activities
Doing good means giving and sharing. The farmer’s wife gave of her time and some of her food. The doctor who treated her later waived his fees.
When a person does good, they pay attention and see, give love and compassion, and time and energy. And when a person gives it means they do not expect anything in return.
There is a German saying that goes, “There is nothing good unless you do it.” I would like to add something here: And if you do it, it makes you feel good! Several international studies on the psychology of giving confirm that doing good makes us happy. In Acts 20: 35 it says so beautifully, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”