22 May | Youth
«Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the foolish.» Psalm 39:8
Sometimes extreme situations give us the courage to make decisions that we would avoid under normal circumstances. That’s what happened to Alberto in the year 2002, in Sorocaba, Brazil. His salary only lasted for two days. On the seventh of each month, there was nothing left of the money he had received on the fifth. He would pay his debts, make a pizza night for his friends, and was left without a penny until he received his advance on the 15. That month, on the 13, he was almost out of gas. Since he raised chickens, he was driving a car full of them, when, suddenly, his very old car stopped. Just 15 more minutes and he would have made it home! How unlucky! But what now?
He soon realized that the problem was that he ran out of fuel. The indicator was all the way down. Nearby there was a car shop. He thought, “Maybe they have some gasoline to sell.” And they really did. He explained his situation, and was told, “Okay. We sell it to you.” The problem is that Alberto didn’t have money or a credit card or anything, except... the chickens!
Somewhat awkwardly, he made the proposal, and the man from the car shop accepted. So Alberto was finally able to get home.
What he didn’t expect, however, was that the news would spread. The mechanic told what happened to a friend, who told another, who told another, who told another, and... the next day, upon arriving at work, many Alberto’s colleagues began to mock him, saying: “Here goes the one who trades chicken for gasoline!”
It was tough, but Alberto learned his lesson. He promised himself that he would find a way to manage his financial life better. Then he started delivering his tithes and offerings every month to the church, something he didn’t usually do even though he had been an Adventist for a long time.
What happened next? God made him prosper. Since then, he has never lacked gas or money to make it to the end of the month. He learned to manage his finances wisely and, even better, to be faithful to Jesus. With Alberto, I (Júlio) relearned something obvious to anyone who reads the Bible: It is only worth being a target of ridicule, criticism, and persecution if it is because of our fidelity to the Lord (Matt. 5:11, 12). Otherwise, it’s better to change courses. Think about it!