I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful, wondrous new day dawns! I absolutely love this time of day...there is so much hope, opportunity & promise. Every day is a new beginning, a blank page...it is so inspiring to me!
Yesterday as I was driving to work the thought, the realization, hit me that my level of influence is really rather narrow. There are people whose lives I may not be able to speak into. Those who will relate to me most, and therefore will allow me to speak into their lives with my thoughts, words & actions, are those who share some similarity with me. Those who share my faith, my values, my desire to be a better person, spouse, parent, etc. will find it easiest to relate to the things I think, say & do. This thought did not discourage me, nor do I say it this morning with the slightest bit of negativity attached to it. Rather it was a great reminder about my significance, relatively small, and yours, relatively large. The quote that captures the thought best is one of my all-time favorites from Mother Teresa:
“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.”
Isn't it beautiful?! And so very, very true! Because of who I am, the experiences I have had, the life I have lived, there are things I can do, people I can speak to, lives I can touch that you cannot. Likewise, because of who YOU are, the experiences YOU have had, the life YOU have lived, there are things YOU can do, people YOU can speak to, lives that YOU can touch that I cannot. Individually we can do so little, together we can do so much. The question is will we?
It is really easy to get worn down by life. Does it really matter if I am nice to someone? We all have struggles, battles, challenges...will it really make any difference if I try to help someone? Does your influence, does my influence really make a difference? Have you ever read The Starfish Story? I want you to read it here and think of it in terms of all the starfish, uh people, you will encounter today:
Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.
Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”
No Friends, you can't make a difference in all the lives you will encounter today. You can however focus on one life at a time and choose to be an intentional, positive influence in that life. While you might not be able to influence thousands or even hundreds, you can & will influence one life at a time today. You will choose to stroll down the beach and leave them to wither & die or you will be choose to help them any way you can. You are not responsible for what they choose to do, how they choose to live their life however you are completely responsible for the things you think, say & do. Please don't focus on what you cannot do, please do not focus on what you cannot control - other people, rather focus your time, talent & energy on the things you control - your thoughts, your words & your actions.
I want to close with another favorite quote, this one from the great Jackie Robinson:
"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."
How important will your life be today? How important will you choose to make your life today? I promise you today I will make my life important, I will make this day count. I make a commitment to you that today I will seek to serve others, to help them any way I can. Will you join me in this commitment? Just for today? While individually our impact is narrow, together it is huge! Let's get to work doing our good where we are today!
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families!
Kev
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