Sometimes, we hold back the little we have because we believe it is not enough to make a difference. We convince ourselves that we will help when we have more money, when we are in a better position, or when we can offer something substantial. We forget that what seems little to us might be exactly what someone else needs at a particular moment.
I have come to understand that withholding giving because we feel we do not have enough can sometimes cost someone more than we realize. Showing up for people when they need us is important, and giving does not necessarily mean money. Sometimes, it means giving our time, offering words of affirmation, listening without judgment, or providing emotional support. Sometimes, all a person needs is to know that they are not alone.
I remember an experience from my university days that taught me this lesson in a way I will never forget.
One of my roommates was struggling to pay her school fees. We were all worried about her situation, especially because examinations were fast approaching. I had about 26% of the money she needed, but I kept telling myself that it was too small to offer. The amount she needed was far greater than what I had, and I felt that my contribution would make little or no difference.
So, I kept the money to myself.
As the examination date drew closer, she remained quiet about her situation, and I remained silent too. I knew she was struggling, but I allowed the thought that my money was insufficient to stop me from helping her when I still had the opportunity.
Then the day came.
After my first paper, I went home and met her crying. I immediately asked, “Babe, what is wrong? Why are you crying?”
She told me she had not been allowed to write the examination because she had not paid her school fees. No payment, no examination.
My heart sank.
I felt terrible because I knew I had something I could have offered earlier. I took my phone, asked her for her account number, and transferred the money I had. I told her it was my contribution and that she should manage it.
The moment the alert came into her phone, she screamed and hugged me tightly. She was so grateful and prayed that God would bless me.
Then I asked her something that made the moment even more emotional.
“Was this little money all you needed?”
She explained that it was almost the amount she had been trying to raise to complete her school fees after saving what she could.
I was overwhelmed with regret. I hugged her and apologized, tears running down my face. I explained that I had had the money earlier but had kept it because I thought it was too little to help.
She was not angry with me. She was happy and grateful that she had finally received the money she needed. But I could not stop thinking about what might have happened if I had given it to her earlier.
She could have paid her fees and written that first examination.
Unfortunately, she had already missed it, and she eventually had a carryover in that course.
I was glad that I had helped her, but I was also deeply saddened by the realization that my help had come too late to prevent what had happened. The timing I gave her the money was bad.
That experience taught me a lesson I still carry with me today: I must not wait until I have enough before I give what I can from my heart.
Sometimes, we think our contribution is insignificant because it cannot solve the entire problem. We forget that we may not need to solve the whole problem to make a meaningful difference. We may only need to help someone take the next step.
If I had given my roommate that money earlier, it might not have covered her entire school fees, but it would have helped her complete the amount she needed. My mistake was not that I had too little. It was that I allowed the little I had to seem worthless.
Life has taught me that Giving is not always about how much we have to offer. It is about our willingness to offer what we can when the opportunity presents itself. We should not wait until we are financially comfortable before helping someone, until we have the perfect words before comforting someone, or until our own lives are completely in order before making time for someone who needs us.
Of course, we all have limitations. We cannot solve every problem, and we should never feel compelled to give what we genuinely cannot afford. But when we have something we can reasonably offer, we should not dismiss it simply because it seems small compared with the need before us.
That little money, that encouraging word, that phone call, that listening ear, or that simple act of kindness may mean more than we imagine.
My roommate was grateful that I eventually helped her, but I was left with a lesson that gratitude alone could not erase: sometimes, the question is not whether we will show love, but whether we will show it while it can still make the difference someone needs.
Don't wait until you have more to show love. Don't wait until you can do everything before you do something. What you have may not be enough to solve the whole problem, but it may be enough to change someone's story.
And if there is one thing I have learned from that experience, it is this: when giving is within our means to give, let us not allow the fear of giving too little to stop us from giving at all. Image from pexels