Make a Difference in Your World

You've heard the saying, "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world." There is a lot of truth in that statement, but I think that we are even more influential than what we realize. I can remember growing up and wanting to be a movie star or somebody "famous." Kids today hope to be somebody famous too and that is okay. But, reality is, most of us are going to be the person next door. That is okay. In fact, that is a good thing if we are willing to embrace where we are in life. I have lived several places and now we reside in a small rural community. I know many people here and everyday I have the opportunity to make a difference in somebody else life. So often we think that we have to make it big or do something of significance in order to make a difference, but we do not.

Just this week a man in our church congregation died unexpectedly. It was a shock to us all and such a void in our church and our community. He made a difference in the lives of many people including our family. He welcomed us when we were new to the community. He always treated us with kindness as well as those around him. I began hearing stories about him after he passed away. For as long as I had known his family, I had always noticed an old car parked to the side of their home. The story was that he bought it from someone who needed the money and he later paid someone else (who also needed money) to restore it. Evidently, he had a reputation of quietly helping out those who were in need. He wasn't "famous" or known worldwide, but to many people he was the world. I believe that throughout our lives we have the opportunity to be the world to many of the people that are placed in our lives. That's what it's all about - using what we have to make the world a better place.