23 May | Youth
«None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.» Psalm 49:7
On that trip we did not take food, but we had money in our pockets. After all, “those who have money don’t go hungry.” But things are not quite like that. In that remote community in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, the Brazilian real was not the local currency. In fact, people were not used to using money. Without knowing this, at lunch time, my companions and I (Ailton) looked for somewhere to buy food. To our disappointment, there was no business in the area.
Each family kept their own food supply. Nobody sold anything. Whenever they went to the city, people bought the food they needed for a certain period of time. In general, sustenance came from the river or the fields.
Someone approached us and offered a solution. In that young man's hand, there was an oar and a small fishing net. The canoe was parked on the riverbank. As soon as he arrived, he told us with a smile on his face: “You can keep your money. If you want to eat something today, you will have to fish.” Money was worthless there.
This story reinforced in my mind the obvious: people are more important than things. Money will only have value if human beings are valued. Had it not been for the kindness of that young man in providing us with the means to obtain food, we would have been left without food. Money can even buy food, but without someone to produce it, there will be no food for anyone.
Pride, greed and avarice are sins before God. Those who keep these feelings in their hearts diminish the value of people and prioritize things. That is why we should not rely solely on finances. Love and altruism give meaning to things, not the other way around.
There is no money that can buy life. Therefore, value people more than things. The greatest example of this was what God did for us. He did not buy us with money, but with His own blood. He gave his own life.