Making a Difference…

I was slowly making my way down the aisle in a thrift store when someone caught my attention.  She had stopped still in the aisle while approaching my cart from the opposite direction.  As my eyes met hers, she stumblingly tried to explain why she was staring at me. “My mother, she used to have a top with the same pattern, only hers was red, and the same white hair . . .” She stopped, unable to go on as her eyes began to water.  Instantly, I realized that this was a hurting woman, missing her mom. Without thinking or hesitating, I said, “Awwww,” and released my hold on my cart and reached out to her with open arms.  She immediately stepped forward into my hug and soaked it in.  As we drew apart, she whispered, “You don’t know how much I needed this!” I replied, “God knows what we need and when we need it!” She responded with, “Then I’m really glad you know God as well as you do . . .” We both had tears in our eyes as we continued on our way down the aisle in opposite directions. She was blessed by receiving a hug from God through me, and I was blessed by knowing that God had entrusted me with making a difference in her life, if only for one day.

A while ago, I was sitting in a hospital waiting room, reading an article about nursing in their newsletter, when a sentence caught my eye. A nurse was making a statement about why she chose to make a career of nursing. She said, “I enjoy helping people in need and making a difference in someone’s life, even if it’s just for one day…” (Hasanovic, 2014).

As I sat there reflecting on this thought, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if Christians would just try to serve others in need and make a difference in their lives, even if it was just for one day. Because we feel inadequate or unable to do big things for God, sometimes we just sit back and do nothing at all. 

If we could only learn to somehow live one day at a time, making ourselves available for God to touch others through us, God only knows what a difference we could make in the lives of others. Sometimes it takes very little to make a huge difference.  In one life. If only for one day.

Often, as Christians, we often think our responsibility to be helpful to those in need extends only to our church family. However, even though we should share the needs of our church family, our compassion should extend beyond the four walls of a church building. There are thousands of people in our communities who are in need of our compassion and encouragement, even more than they need material assistance.

Let us endeavor to be like Jesus and take time to make a difference in the lives of others, today and every day!
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Galatians 6:10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

Acts 10:38 “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
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