The Difference One Person Can Make Series

G. Let me end with this classic illustration: “Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

1. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the rising of the sun, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

2. As he got closer, he noticed that it was a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

3. He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

4. The young man paused, looked up, and replied, “I’m throwing starfish into the ocean.”

5. “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the wise man.

6. He replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die.”

7. The wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!”

8. At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “I made a difference for that one.”

9. Just like that young man, and just like Esther, one person can make a difference.

10. Will you make a difference or will you just hope that someone else will do it?

Resources:

Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity, by Charles Swindoll, Word Publishing, 1997.

Jesus Is A Better Mediator, Sermon by Mark Driscoll, http://marshill.com

Esther, by Joyce Baldwin, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, IVP, 1984