I've been looking into a lot of global urban issues lately. Poverty, disease, drug addiction, sex trafficking...for some reason these issues really touch a nerve with me. It's not the issue itself that touches me so deeply, but rather the staggering magnitude of it. Drug addiction is rampant in every major city in the world. Twenty-seven million people worldwide are enslaved in human sex trafficking. In the United States, over 15% of the population lives in poverty - that number skyrockets to over 50% in some third-world countries.
The numbers are mind-boggling. And, for anyone who wants to make a difference in these peoples' lives, they can be paralyzing, as well. You, me, my neighbor down the street....all of us are just one person. How could we possibly make a difference?
We cannot fix all of the problems in this world. But we can make a difference. So many people, because they cannot do everything, end up doing nothing. "Be realistic," they say. "How much good can one person really do?" But being realistic is the most commonly traveling road to mediocracy.
I remember a story that I read years ago about an old man and his little grandson who were taking a walk on the beach. They came across an astonishing sight - thousands and thousands of starfish, who had somehow all been washed up onto the shore. They were spread out on the beach as far as the eye could see. The little boy knew that they would die out there in the hot sun, and so he quietly went down to the water and started throwing them back into the ocean, one starfish at a time. "What are you doing?" asked the grandfather. "There's so many of them; you can't possibly make a difference." The little boy pick up another starfish before he responded. "I made a difference for that one," he replied, as he threw it into the water. He picked up another one. "And that one, and that one, and that one."
Yes, the numbers are sad and scary and overwhelming. No one who tries to fix the bad statistics in this world will ever succeed. You have to get to know the statistics, learn their stories, see their joys, share in their sorrows. The statistics have to become people. You have to care about something before you'll ever fight for it. How many people do you have in your life who's causes you are willing to fight for? Or are they all just numbers?
1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man,“Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
The numbers are mind-boggling. And, for anyone who wants to make a difference in these peoples' lives, they can be paralyzing, as well. You, me, my neighbor down the street....all of us are just one person. How could we possibly make a difference?
We cannot fix all of the problems in this world. But we can make a difference. So many people, because they cannot do everything, end up doing nothing. "Be realistic," they say. "How much good can one person really do?" But being realistic is the most commonly traveling road to mediocracy.
I remember a story that I read years ago about an old man and his little grandson who were taking a walk on the beach. They came across an astonishing sight - thousands and thousands of starfish, who had somehow all been washed up onto the shore. They were spread out on the beach as far as the eye could see. The little boy knew that they would die out there in the hot sun, and so he quietly went down to the water and started throwing them back into the ocean, one starfish at a time. "What are you doing?" asked the grandfather. "There's so many of them; you can't possibly make a difference." The little boy pick up another starfish before he responded. "I made a difference for that one," he replied, as he threw it into the water. He picked up another one. "And that one, and that one, and that one."
Yes, the numbers are sad and scary and overwhelming. No one who tries to fix the bad statistics in this world will ever succeed. You have to get to know the statistics, learn their stories, see their joys, share in their sorrows. The statistics have to become people. You have to care about something before you'll ever fight for it. How many people do you have in your life who's causes you are willing to fight for? Or are they all just numbers?
Matthew 9:1-13
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man,“Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
The Calling of Matthew
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
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