You can make a difference!

By Helen Jesze, 16^th October 2020

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’.”

Matthew 25, 40 NIV

Legend tells us that a man was walking along a beach; this was one of his favourite places to walk. One day after a terrific storm, he saw thousands of starfish which had been thrown up onto the sand. They were now left stranded, because the tide had gone out. As he walked he could see a young boy in the distance, and noticed the boy kept bending down, picking something up and throwing it into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things into the ocean.

As the man came even closer, he was able to see that the boy was picking up starfish. One at a time he was throwing them back into the water. The man asked the boy, “What are you doing?” The boy replied: “If they stay here they will die.” “But you can’t save them all, there are thousands here, and this must be happening on so many beaches along the coast. What you’re doing can’t possibly make a difference!”

The boy just smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish. As he threw it back into the sea, he replied: “But it made a difference to that one!”

In this story we see two different attitudes. The man out walking was absolutely correct that there were thousands of starfish stranded on the beaches. His logical reasoning was that they could not all be helped. The young boy, however, looked at it from the point of view of the starfish – one minute it was dying and the next, it was swimming in the cool waters again, because someone had taken pity on it.

In Man’s economy and way of looking at things, we too, are often overwhelmed at the huge task before us, and so we often think there is no sense in even trying. So many people needing food, so many millions of people displaced, so many millions trafficked, so many harassed families, so many homeless, so many needing Jesus, so many sick, vulnerable. The list is endless. If we have any compassion and thought, we are touched and challenged, as we see or read of these things, but are often discouraged, thinking we have nothing to offer.

Yet I believe the Lord wants to say to us today, You CAN make a DIFFERENCE! He does not expect each of us to solve all the problems in the world, but He does often bring particular people and circumstances our way, and gives us the opportunity to work together with Him, to change situations for the better.

What about sending an email or telephone somebody who is in lock down! Your cheery words or voice might be just what they need to brighten their day! You might not be able to give someone £1000.-, but you might be able to buy some groceries and put them on the doorstep of a family in need, ring the doorbell and quickly hide, if you want to remain anonymous! You could send a special card to your pastor and his wife, perhaps a bunch of flowers, and thank them for their care and love to their congregation. Very often pastors only hear when there are complaints or problems or prayer requests, and are taken for granted. But how encouraging and refreshing when they receive mail like this!

You may not be a preacher, but if you are a born-again Christian, you have a story to tell, how you came to faith in Jesus or of answers to prayer. What about writing it and putting it on Social Media? God can use it to zero in to somebody’s heart, showing them light in their darkness, hope in their desperate situation! YOU can make a difference! You may have certain situations or people laid on your heart but you are not sure what you ought to do. Pray and seek the Lord to show you. It may be something unusual, something you would never have thought of; that may be the direct answer to bring help and victory.

We cannot do everything, but everyone can do something!!

You and Jesus together can make a difference!!

Start looking today for the starfish YOU need to throw back into the water, and get busy –TODAY!