Today I finished reading an amazing and inspirational book, No Longer a Slumdog.
At the close of one of the chapters it ends with this story:
In some parts of the world, when the tide comes in from the ocean, it brings with it thousands of starfish. Then the tide recedes and leaves thousands of them behind on the shore. Many of these starfish cannot make it back to the safety of the water before the sun comes up and dries them out.
A man was walking along the shore one day and witnessed this sight. He stared at all the starfish, saddened that many would die. Then he saw a young boy walking in the other direction. The lad would stop and pick up a starfish and throw it into the ocean. He continued to do this, picking up one after the other and throwing them back into the water.
"Why are you doing that?" the man asked the boy. "Don't you realize there are miles and miles of shore? You're wasting your time. You'll never make a difference. The boy picked up another starfish and hurled it back into the ocean. As it landed, he said, "I made a difference for that one".
While I am here in the United States, am I caring enough for those I minister to? Each child who rides my bus- am I caring for each of them. Oh yeah it is easy when they are obedient. But, those ones who act up are usually the ones who are hurting so badly on the inside. And they need someone to care.
This book has opened my eyes alot to see the need of the children and families in India. They are living in a world of hopelessness. They need people who care enough about them that they would actually go and tell them. But, there are those in our neighborhoods or down the street who also are living in worlds of hopelessness. My prayer and goal this coming year is that I would make a difference in the ones I minister to--even if it is one person at a time.
