THE STARFISH STORY

I recently heard the following story, and would like to share it with everyone:

Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide.

The man was struck by the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached, the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.

As he came up to the young man he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The young man looked at him. He then stooped down and picked up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said, "It made a difference to that one!"

CONCLUSION

It is the little things which we do that often affect our neighbor the most.  One impatient outburst can be the final stoke in making him lose his temper and turn away from God.  One kind word can be the crucial factor in giving him the courage and strength to persevere in the struggles of life. 

We will most likely never know, until the general judgment, how much good or bad influence we have had upon those who come have in contact with during our time here on earth.  We will not be able to make a difference in the lives of everyone.  Yet, we can certainly make an effort to help as many people as we can!

So, from this moment let us use our every thought, word, and action of every day, to offer assistance and help our neighbors with love and generosity until the end of our days.