Ezekiel 11:19 - I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh.
The story is told of a little boy who was walking along the beach at low tide, picking up every starfish he came to, and throwing it back into the ocean. A man approached him and asked, "young man, why are you wasting time with those starfish? There are so many stranded on the beach that you can not possibly make a difference with the few you save." The boy reached down, grabbed another starfish, and flung it back out into the ocean. Then he looked at the man and said, "It made a difference to that one."
When you work with people, whether it be in social services, church work, or otherwise, there are times when you ask yourself, "Am I really making a difference?" I'm sure we've all spent time, money, and energy trying to help someone who would not let us help them. For whatever reason, they just can't seem to make the changes that we know they need to make. There is so much suffering in the world and much of it is brought on by bad choices that people make. If we are not careful, these situations can make us indifferent to the suffering of others. We might be tempted to think that there is nothing we can do so why bothering trying. But there are always people out there who will let us help them. It is usually when we think that we are not making a difference, that we are doing the greatest good.
Lord Jesus, help us to not get hardened to the problems of humanity. Let us see everyone we meet as a soul for whom you died on the cross of Calvary. Help me to remember not to judge a situation before its time. As a wise man once said, If I err, let me err on the side of love.
Prayerfully Yours,
Sullivan Jones
