Mass communication has a downside. Every day I’m bombarded with news and images of horrors all over the world. I know that scripture commands me to “bear one another’s burdens”, but at times it just seems like too much.
It’s then that I focus on the “one” in “one another.” My prayers and efforts turn to finding something I can do or say to benefit a single person’s life. Sure enough, an opportunity always appears.
A famous story tells of a beach filled with starfish that were washed up by an especially rough surf. A young boy walked along, throwing them back into the ocean so that they would not die. Watching this, a cynical man said “There are thousands of starfish on this beach, and this must be happening on scores of beaches along the coast. You can’t possibly make a difference.” The boy bent down and picked up another starfish. As he tossed it into the sea, he replied, “I made a huge difference to that one.”
The media reminds me of all I cannot do, and that is saddening. But during my journey, surely some individual need will be revealed. Might as well start there.
I love the starfish story. It is so true and yet we so often think that impacting one life is not enough when to that life it can be EVERYTHING!!
I try to be the change I want to see, while trusting, believing and knowing that God works one heart at a time, starting here, rippling outward. Blessings!!
Life is not made only of breaking news, heartbreaking events and heroic feats. Life is made of little things. The smallest actions cam make the biggest difference. Want to eliminate world hunger? Make a sandwich and hand it to a hungry person each week. Want to make a forgotten senior feel special? Pay them a visit and play some cards. To make the world a better place to live, help make just one person’s life a little better. Like this wise post says, “It’s not big news, but it’s huge.”