A Starfish and a Boy

   Quite often when we go to the beach we notice a starfish that has been brought in my the incoming tide. The scene almost always reminds me of a story:

"An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach. One day, after a storm, he saw a human figure in the distance moving like a dancer. As he came closer he saw that it was a young woman and she was not dancing but was reaching down to the sand, picking up a starfish and very gently throwing them into the ocean.

“Young lady,” he asked, “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”

“The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in they will die.”

“But young lady, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a difference.”

The young woman listened politely, paused and then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves, saying, “It made a difference for that one.”

   This morning, as I thought about Christmas, I saw a parallel in that story, and in what I needed to write a check for today.

   For the past several years now, we have sponsored a boy over in Kenya through the Compassion organization out in Colorado. But what does it matter that we sponsor one 11 year old boy? Peter is just one of many children in Kenya that need help.

   How about the millions all over the world, especially in developing countries, that live in dire circumstances? What about them?

   What does it matter that I send a small check each month to help someone?

   Well, just like the young lady in the story, we pray that "“It made a difference for that one.”

   When God prompts, and we respond, we leave the rest up to Him.