Changing The World

A few years ago someone asked me, “Rachel, how are you going to change the world?”.  I almost laughed out loud thinking that was crazy.  ME?!  Change the world?  I’m one person.  I can’t do something so significant that will change so much!  Isn’t it almost arrogant for me to think that I can do something that will change the entire world?
 
But I pondered that question…
 
Philippians 4:13 says I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength.
 
I looked at the disciples’ lives.  They were young, ordinary men and all they did was obey Christ and do what He asked of them.  They gave their lives to doing Christ’s work.  There are countless stories in the New Testament about how they changed people’s lives and ultimately changed the world through this.
 
I came to the realization that I really can change the world.
The way this happens may not make me famous, make me wealthy, get my name in the headlines, or get me an award.
 
But with the power and love of Christ working through me it can happen.
I can help someone realize the freedom they have in Christ. 

I can offer hope to the world through
                                                                         my everyday actions,
                     by offering hope in dark places,
                                                                                                             with the words I speak,
                                     by sharing the love of Christ.
 
We don’t have to be famous, rich, important, church workers, or a CEO of a company to make a difference.  Changing the world doesn’t necessarily come through a massive production, but rather through touching one life at a time.
 
Here’s a story I heard once:
As an old man walked the beach at dawn, he noticed a young boy ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea.  Finally, catching up to the youth, he asked him why he was doing this.  The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun.  “But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish”, countered the man, “How can your efforts make a difference?”  The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw him safely in the waves.  “It makes a difference to that one”, he said.