Jesus reached out his hand
and touched the man.
—Matthew 8:3
Fires and floods. Tornadoes and tsunamis. Hurricanes and hunger.
Overexposure to suffering threatens to numb your compassion—triggers a throw-up-your-hands helplessness. The need is too big and your resources too small.
Jesus didn’t feed all the poor, heal all the sick, help all the helpless. Only a few—usually one at a time. You can’t help everyone, but you can help someone.
Strolling the beach with his grandfather, the boy picked up starfish and tossed them back into the ocean. “If we leave them here,” he said, “they’ll die.”
“This beach goes on for miles,” said his grandfather. “There are thousands of starfish here. What you are doing won’t make a difference.”
The youth gently threw the starfish in his hand into the surf. “It will make a difference to this one,” he said.
Make a difference.