Whenever we are faced with great needs, there is the potential for greater opportunities! The challenge is that too often we magnify our need while minimizing the opportunities that are right before our eyes. Our world is filled with prospective possibilities, but unfortunately many of those possibilities go without being seized.

There is a story about three rich men who passed through a poverty stricken village. All three men were traveling on the same road in a convoy. Seeing the poverty firsthand provoked different reactions for all three men.

The first man couldn’t stand to see poverty, so he took all of the gold and jewels from his wagon and shared them with the villagers. After wishing them all the best of luck, he left. It was his belief that the best way to address poverty was to meet their immediate need by throwing gold and jewels. However, it wasn’t long before the fortune had been spent frivolously.

Seeing that the first rich man’s attempt to rid the village of poverty only made their situation more desperate, the second rich man gave the villagers all of his food and drink. The people had a feast!

The third rich man was so overwhelmed with the poverty that he sped up and quickly traveled through the village without stopping. Seeing him in the distance, the other rich men discussed how the third man lacked decency and compassion. At the same time they praised themselves for helping the poor villagers. However, three days later, they encountered the third rich man who was now traveling in the opposite direction. As they approached the third man, he never stopped moving. He was still  traveling quickly. But this time his wagons were filled with farming tools and sacks of seed and grain instead of the gold and valuables he carried before. You see, he was headed back to the poor village to help them out of poverty.

Throwing money at poverty is not always the answer; instead, it’s about restoring dignity. The villagers soon forgot the rich men who gave them money and food but they never forgot the rich man who helped them regain their self-respect.