There is a parable that has been around in many forms and it goes like this:
A terrible storm brings great crashing waves to a seaside community. The day after the storm there was a beautiful, calm morning with the sun growing hotter as it rose in the sky. Starfish were washed up on the sand by the storm for far as the eye could see. A young boy walked down the beach picking up one starfish after another, throwing each one back in the life-giving sea. He knew the hot sun would soon be death for them.
A man walked up to the boy and said, “What you are trying to do is hopeless. There are so many starfish and so little time until the sun is too hot. You may as well give up. What you are doing doesn’t make enough difference to matter.”
The boy spoke as he picked up another and tossed to back to sea. “It matters to this one.”
At times it is easy to be discouraged by the depth or breadth of need around us. Many excuse their lack of involvement by saying “I don’t know how to help” or “I can’t make enough of a difference so why bother trying.” That’s why I love this parable so much; it is a humbling reminder that the simplest act can make all the difference in the world to the creature that receives it. Whether you can afford to donate thousands to animal shelters or just adopt one cat or dog, you are rescuing animals from certain death. Whether you can donate one can of soup a week to a food pantry or get up and serve a hot breakfast for the homeless, you are filling a stomach with food and with hope. And whether you can adopt an orphaned child or just teach the one you have that they deserve love and respect, you make the world a kinder place for all.
What are you going to do that matters?
