| March 30, 2002 |
| "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he." Proverbs 16:20 Along the coast of the vast Atlantic ocean there lived an old man. Each day when the tide went out he would make his way along the beach for miles. Another man who lived not far away would occasionally watch as he vanished into the distance and later notice that he had returned. The neighbor also noticed that, as he walked, the old man would often stoop down to lift something from the sand and then toss it away into the water. One day, when the old man went down to the beach this neighbor followed to satisfy his curiosity and, sure enough, as he watched, the old man bent down and gently lifted something from the sand and threw it into the ocean. By the time the old man made his next stop the neighbor had come near enough to see that he was picking up a starfish which had been stranded by the retreating tide and would, of course, die of dehydration before the tide returned. As the old man turned to return it to the ocean the neighbor called out with a degree of mockery in his voice, "Hey, old timer! What are you doing? This beach goes on for hundreds of miles, and thousands of starfish get washed up every day! Surely you don't think that throwing a few back is going to matter." The old man listened and paused for a moment, then held the starfish in his hand out toward his neighbor. "It matters to this one." ~ Jeff Ostrander I read this little story and it brought to mind so much of what and how most people today think about the little things in life that matter. One individual has power to do good or evil within themself. The human race was preserved through righteous Noah. Moses prayed, and God spared the entire nation. David killed Goliath, and the army of Israel won the battle. A prime example of the influence of one is the Lord Jesus. We don't rank with Jesus, Noah, Moses, or David, but we are inclined to ask ourselves, "What difference can I make?" A good answer is "I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. And what I can do, by the grace of God I will do." Every living creature is important. From your fellow brother to the tiny starfish as this story told of. Some acts of kindness may never be done if not by us. Think about this. There may be someone out there who will never be reminded of God's love for them, or never come to accept Jesus unless we show them that it truly matters to us. May God bless you with a wonderful week-end as you take "matters" upon yourself for the kingdom of God. Love in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. |
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