The infinite need in this world is enough to overwhelm even the most faithful people.
Everywhere you look there is hunger, poverty, homelessness, illness and loneliness. It’s enough to make one throw their hands up and ask, “Where do I even start?”
I understand; there are days the world’s needs overwhelm me, too. And when I sense the feeling of helplessness coming on, that’s when I turn to the story of the starfish for renewed inspiration. If you are unfamiliar, the moral of the story is when you feel paralyzed by the world’s overwhelming need, just do your best to make a difference for one person.
I was reminded of this modern parable this week thanks to my oldest sister, who shared with me that she has started visiting a nursing facility near her home to visit with residents who don’t have much company. Retired and with time to give, my sister Deb said she was inspired last summer by the time we spent visiting our own mother when she was losing her battle with cancer.
“I would pass by all those rooms and see people who never had anyone come visit them,” Deb said, “and it broke my heart.”
She said she felt the Holy Spirit tugging on her heart, encouraging her to go to the local care facility and visit those without regular visitors.
“This is something I can do,” she said. “I can visit with people; I can read a book to them; talk about coloring pictures.”
What makes me even prouder of my sister is how outside of her comfort zone this is. For someone who can struggle to go out in public, she had to go through an application process, fingerprinting and a background check before she was allowed to volunteer at the facility.
Any one of those things might have been enough for her to call this off, but there was a higher power propelling her forward.
On the phone, I could hear the joy in her own voice as she shared with me how she was positively impacting the lives of her neighbors, people she’d never previously met. Talk about making a difference for one! My big sister is the main character in the starfish story.
Faith Family, do not let the enormity of the world’s needs freeze you up. Yes, there seemingly will always be more people to visit or feed or clothe or house than you have resources.
But the parable of the starfish reminds us that when one person -- like my sister -- starts throwing the starfish back into the water, others will be encouraged to follow.
Be like Jesus. Be like the child in the starfish story. Be like my sister. There is a whole world of people who need you to make a difference … one person at a time. Amen.
Devlyn Brooks is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and serves Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. He blogs about faith at findingfaithin.com, and can be reached at [email protected].