Making a differences
There was an old man who lived along the Atlantic coastline, and each morning when the tide went out, he walked for miles along the beach. Every so often, he would stoop down, gentle lifting something from the sand, and then toss it into the ocean. He repeated this strange behaviour every day.
One morning a curious neigbour followed him trying to figure out what he was doing. It didn't take long to see that the man was picking up starfish that had been stranded by the retreating tide and throwing them back into the ocean so they wouldn't die of dehydration in the hot summer sun.
The neigbour chuckled to himself and then called out in a sarcastic tone, "Hey, old man. This beach runs for hundreds of miles, and there are thousands of starfish stranded on the sand every day. Do you really think that throwing a few back is making a differences?"
The old man turned towards his neigbour and then looked down at the one starfish he held in his hand. A smile spread across his face as he answered, "Well, it makes a difference to this one."
And so it is with us when we reach out to someone. We can make a differences in that one person's life. And then another's and another's and another's.
We CHANGE our world one dear person at a time.
from Small Acts of Grace by Alice Gray
But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
1 John 3:17
~oOo~
Sometimes we feel like the little we can do here or there isn't really worth it... But it sure does make a difference in the one or two lives we touch, and we should never forget that. The blood of Jesus Christ also touches one heart at a time! :)
ReplyDeleteJo- such a positive and encouraging post. This is so true- we make changes one little act of kindness at a time. Good deeds are contagious- we pass them on-
ReplyDeleteI love this story no matter how many times I hear it- thanks for telling it again.
Vicki
Yes, one person at a time. I was also telling my daughter who was having a difficult time that God, who is eternal, gave us time for our benefit. We trust Him one day at a time. If that is too hard than one hour at a time. Still too hard? One minute...or at the very least one second. God is good.
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a good day staying warm on the other side of the world.
Excellent point!
ReplyDeleteWe should all try to make a difference in someone else's life.
Bless you, Jo.
Trish