Do not withhold good

In a world that is often loud with opinions but quiet with action, it’s easy to forget the weight of doing good when we can. We scroll past need.

We delay encouragement. We ignore opportunities to be kind, generous, or just helpful—waiting for a “better time” or “more resources” or “when we feel like it.”

But the truth is, when it’s in your power to do good, that moment is the better time.

The ancient proverb from the Bible, found in Proverbs 3:27, says:

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”

This is more than moral advice. It’s a design for how a functional world should operate. Our ability to do good isn’t random—it’s responsibility.

Every opportunity to help, encourage, build, give, or serve is not just about what we can do, but about what we must do, if we are to be people of integrity and impact.

Withholding good doesn’t just affect the one who needs it—it affects you. It dims your capacity for empathy.

It hardens your heart. It slowly convinces you that goodness is optional, not essential.

But what if we decided that the power to act was the call to act?

What if we lived in a world where people simply did what they could, when they could?

No grand gestures. Just consistent good. Quiet help. Intentional kindness.

The kind that turns neighborhoods into communities and people into hope-carriers.

You don’t have to fix everything. But you can do something. So do it.

When it’s in your power to do good, don’t delay. Don’t overthink. Just act.