It made a difference for that one
One morning, I went out for my daily sunrise walk on the
beach. Off in the distance, I could see someone pick something up off the beach,
wade a little ways into the ocean and then toss the object into the water.
Then, the person, who appeared to be a small boy, picked up another object and tossed it also into the sea. He continued to do this as I walked. As I approached, I saw that he was picking up starfish. I stopped and asked him why he was doing this. The boy explained that the starfish were stranded and that in another hour or two they would dry up and die. He was saving their lives.
The innocence of youth, I thought. I told him that there were thousands of starfish on the beach, and he couldn't possibly make a difference. The kid stopped and looked down, as if to study the water that washed over our bare feet. Then He walked over and picked up another starfish, waded into the sea and tossed it in.
"Sir," he said, pointing into the sea. "Yes," I answered. He continued, "It made a difference for that one."
"It made a difference for that one" By Andy Thomas
Matthew tells us about a woman who came to Jesus with "…an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. The disciples were shocked! They thought she could have done so much more with her ointment. "…they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor." (Mat 26:7-9) Jesus rebuked His disciples and said: "Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me." What seemed to be a waste in the eyes of the disciples made a big impression with the Lord. For He said:
"…Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." (Mat 26:13)
When Jesus died on the cross, He impacted every person that ever lived or will ever live. Not one of us will ever be able to impact so many, in such a great way. The good news is that God doesn't expect us to. He only expects us to do what we can. The things we do don’t have to be spectacular or great. It can be as simple as a smile of encouragement, a touch of understanding, or a note of appreciation. Even if it affects only one person, and only in a very small way, it will make a difference for that person perhaps for all eternity. Don’t let anyone discourage you in your efforts to serve Jesus! Yes, the task is much greater than we are. But, we can say: "It made a difference for that one!"
For Jesus’ Sake,
Pastor Rick Wheeler
You can email Pastor Rick Wheeler with any questions you may have regarding this letter.
