Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you. Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. Do not accuse anyone for no reason— when they have done you no harm. Proverbs 3:27-30
In the “House of Flowers” condominium, Ricardo, the resident of 401, was a man of fences. His door was always locked, his expression always closed off, and his philosophy was simple: “Every man for himself.” He was the personification of the principle: ask me for nothing.
His downstairs neighbor, Davi, in 302, was the opposite. His door was often open, from which the smell of coffee and the sound of his children’s laughter would escape. Davi lived with a sense of community that Ricardo found naive and dangerous.
The difference between them was visible in the little things.
One afternoon, Mrs. Elvira, an elderly widow from the second floor, knocked on Ricardo’s door.
“My son,” she said, her voice trembling, “my gas canister ran out in the middle of making lunch. Could you lend me your spare? The gas delivery man is going to take a while.”
Ricardo, who had an extra canister in his service area, felt the inconvenience.
“Oh, Mrs. Elvira… isn’t the delivery man already on his way? Just have a little patience,” he said, closing the door gently but firmly. He had the solution, but he withheld it.
Dejected, Mrs. Elvira went down one floor and knocked on Davi’s door. Upon hearing the story, Davi did not hesitate.
“Of course, Mrs. Elvira! Wait just a minute.” He grabbed his spare canister, went up with her, and installed it, refusing any payment. He had the ability to do good, and he did it. Immediately.
Weeks later, Ricardo began planning a renovation in his apartment. His neighbor in 402, a young musician named Léo, lived in the adjacent apartment. Ricardo knew the work would make a terrible noise, but instead of talking to Léo to arrange the best times, he devised mischief.
“I’ll start the demolition on Saturday at eight in the morning. It is my right,” he thought, anticipating the confrontation. He did not seek peace, but veiled conflict.
Meanwhile, Davi was facing a similar problem. The tree on his balcony had grown, and its branches were encroaching on the window of his neighbor in 301. Instead of waiting for a complaint, he went to his neighbor’s door.
“Friend, I saw that my branches are getting in your way. I’m going to call someone to prune them this weekend. Is there a time that works best for you?”
The neighbor, surprised by the kindness, smiled.
“Not at all, Davi. Don’t worry about it. But since you brought it up, Saturday afternoon would be great.”
There was no fight, no needless strife, only respect.
The silent climax of the two neighbors’ lives came during a crisis. A severe hailstorm hit the city, breaking windows and damaging roofs. Ricardo’s car, parked on the street, had its windshield shattered. Desperate, he called his insurance, only to hear that the demand was enormous and that a tow truck would take hours, perhaps days.
As he looked forlornly at his car, he saw Davi approaching with a thick plastic tarp in his hands.
“Ricardo, I saw what happened,” Davi said, without any tone of accusation. “This won’t solve it, but at least it will protect the car’s interior from the rain until help arrives.”
Ricardo was speechless. He, who never offered anything, who planned harm against his neighbors, who withheld solutions, was now receiving help from the man he considered a fool.
“I… I don’t know how to thank you, Davi,” he stammered.
Davi smiled, a genuine smile. “There’s no need. We’re neighbors. We help each other.”
And with that simple sentence, he did not just cover Ricardo’s car; he covered his shame and taught him, without a single word of preaching, about the power of generosity, faithfulness, and peace. That day, Ricardo began to understand that true security was not in locking doors, but in knowing that, in a storm, there would be someone willing to open theirs for you.
(Made with AI)
This story is part of my book Everyday Wisdom
https://books2read.com/u/3knogL
