Make A Difference

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a little boy, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?" The little boy paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean." "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the little boy replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die." Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!" Discouraged he began to walk away. Suddenly the little boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one." The man looked at the little boy inquisitively and thought about what he had said and had done. Inspired, he joined the little boy in throwing the starfish back into the ocean.

This is such a great story. There is so MUCH truth in this story! It is so easy to focus on reaching the masses (which is important). The problem is that we can get discouraged and we can forget the power of just reaching one person at a time - making a difference in one person at a time. We can make a difference in our neighbour's life. We can make a difference in our child's teacher's life. We can make a difference in the homeless man's life. We can make a difference in the grocery store clerk's life. We can make a difference in our child's life. We can make a difference in a friend's life. All we have to do is focus on the one and making a difference in their life. We need to show one person at a time that they are valuable and loved by an almighty and loving God .

Are you willing to make a difference for one?