“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
-William James, psychologist (1842-1910)
I could not read that quote and not immediately think of the boy walking along the beach, picking up starfish and throwing them back in to the ocean. Surely you all have heard that illustration before. If not, here ya go:
The Starfish Story
Original Story by: Loren Eisley
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”
The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean.
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”
I made a difference for that one.”
Reading those words this morning comes on the heals of reading Philippians 2:12-13 again last night. I can read the story about, put myself in there and think, how, aren’t I doing a good thing. Aren’t I making a difference. WRONG. Like would I really do that if left to my own devices, to my sinful nature? It is Him in me:
“…for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” – Philippians 2:13
Hmm. Wanna hear another funny epiphany? How many times I have I heard Rick Warren saying in my head, “it’s not about me”. And each time, if could recall them all, it immediately made me think it is about you, my fellow believers and others here on earth. And here I sit this morning, desiring to read Rick Warren’s words in context because maybe, just maybe, Warren was really saying, “it’s about Him”, and I just wasn’t listening.
What a morning of revelation, all helped by starfish. Let us each enable Him to make a difference through us.