“They were unschooled, ordinary men.” – Acts 4:13
A young girl was walking along a beach one day upon which thousands of starfish had washed up during a terrible storm. People noticed with amusement as the girl began picking up the starfish one at a time tossing them back into the ocean. After some time a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at the size of this beach, you can’t possibly save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference.” The girl simply bent down and picked up another starfish hurling it into the ocean, then looked up at the man and replied, “Well, it made a difference to that one!”
I know I am repeating an old story we have all heard a thousand times, except I recently discovered there is more to the story than I had previously known. It seems the man was so startled by the young girl’s response that it caused him to pause and reflect. Then, reaching down, he too picked up a starfish and threw it back into the sea. Soon others joined in, then a whole crowd. Amazing the influence one ordinary little girl can have on a group of ordinary people meandering on a beach, and saving thousands of starfish!
“Not all of us can do great things,” Mother Teresa once said. “But we can all do small things with great love.” We underestimate ourselves, I’m afraid, when we depend on high level politicians, corporate CEO’s, sports and entertainment superstars, and other notables to change things for the better. Sure, their influence can certainly be impactful, but so is yours and mine. The moms and dads donating time to coach kids’ sport teams, serving as scout leaders, or simply showing up in support; those may not be considered great things, yet small things with great love. Inevitably some child’s life will be influenced by that, who in turn will someday influence another life in a positive way.
Jesus too was walking along a beach one day when he encountered some fishermen. “They were unschooled, ordinary men,” the scriptures tell us, yet they heeded his summons to follow along where they witnessed Jesus perform healings and other miracles, one person at a time – just like the little girl saving the starfish. Soon the fishermen began to perform healings and miracle too. Others began to join in, then a crowd – and the ordinary became extraordinary. And that’s how it happens when ordinary people do small things with great love.
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