Making A Difference!

Lately I have been thinking about people who make a difference. We all know them! People who have a vision on how to make the world around them a better place and then (this is key) they actually follow through with their plans. It is not just a vision, a wish or a dream, but they find a way to make it a reality.

Some of the people I know that come to mind are Dr. Don R. of Chattanooga, TN, Betty K. of Fort Smith and David and Lydia M. of Honduras. These people inspire me.

Dr. R. went with his church on a mission trip to Honduras in the 80's and discovered an orphanage being run by David and Lydia M. When he arrived, the children were almost at the point of starvation and David and Lydia had been praying for days that a dentist would come to help them because the kids were in desperate need of dental work. Dr. R. took on the orphanage as his personal mission and he spends countless hours working to make the orphanage a better place for the children who live there. David and Lydia's story is similar as they gave up everything they owned to make a home for children who were cast aside in Honduras.

I am also inspired by Betty. She is an ordinary woman who through her own personal tragedy saw a need for pediatric physical, occupational and speech therapy in our area. Because of her efforts and the efforts of her family, our area has an outstanding clinic where any child in need of therapy can come and receive treatment at no out of pocket cost.

Last night I heard of Dr. Farmer. A doctor who has moved to Haiti to set up a hospital in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Because of his efforts, people in Haiti receive medical care free of charge.

All of these people have set up something that will make a difference well past their lifetime. It got me to thinking about my life, what am I doing that will make a difference past my lifetime? As Christians, we are called to help those who are helpless (widows, orphans and the poor). I was reminded of one of my favorite poems. Maybe you have heard it before, but I think it is worth reading and thinking about what we do in life and if we are making 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 he was walking along the shore.

As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.

He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day.

So he began to walk faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't

dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something

and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it

into the ocean, past the breaking waves and said - "It made a difference for that one."

So what does that mean for you? How can you make a difference?