angelgodiva
12-14-2004, 05:50 PM
There is a hymn I particularly love. It's called "Brighten The Corner Where You Are", and I try to live by it.
This morning I came across this story and it reminded me of the message of that song...never think you aren't able to make a difference even if you are working for change in the world all by yourself.
Please read this, and afterwards you are encouraged to check out the link at the end of my signature. A small group right now, but with all the hope of a slumbering seed.
THE STARFISH
"I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day.
As I moved through the misty dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration to the perfect day about to begin.
As I approached, I sadly realized that the youth was not dancing to the day, but rather bending to sift through debris, left by the night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish, and then taking a few steps back and standing upright, heaving it into the sea. I asked the youth the purpose of the effort.
He replied: "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach, and they cannot return to the sea by themselves".
As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach - stretching in both directions into the horizon, beyond my sight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers far too immense for my calculation.
The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me, and I countered
"But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."
The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it out to sea as far as possible.
Turning to me he simply said, "I made a difference to that one."
This morning I came across this story and it reminded me of the message of that song...never think you aren't able to make a difference even if you are working for change in the world all by yourself.
Please read this, and afterwards you are encouraged to check out the link at the end of my signature. A small group right now, but with all the hope of a slumbering seed.
THE STARFISH
"I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day.
As I moved through the misty dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration to the perfect day about to begin.
As I approached, I sadly realized that the youth was not dancing to the day, but rather bending to sift through debris, left by the night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish, and then taking a few steps back and standing upright, heaving it into the sea. I asked the youth the purpose of the effort.
He replied: "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach, and they cannot return to the sea by themselves".
As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach - stretching in both directions into the horizon, beyond my sight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers far too immense for my calculation.
The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me, and I countered
"But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."
The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it out to sea as far as possible.
Turning to me he simply said, "I made a difference to that one."