Making A Difference In The World Today

Sometimes it seems like I don't make a difference.  Maybe you've felt the same at some point.  Just watching the news, reading the newspaper,  or seeing things online  can be depressing with all the wars and senseless tragedies we hear about.  

But the truth is we can and do have an impact.  We may not solve all the problems in the world, but the small, seemingly insignificant actions can impact someone more than we know.

I ran across this story recently that illustrates just that.

Everyone's Gifts Are Important

 If the only tool in your belt is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

Abraham Maslow

I heard this quote one day and later realized that it reflects how we go about most things in our lives. We tend to see circumstances through our own lens, which is relatively small, and we react the only way(s) we know. The opposite is true as well. When have multiple “tools” in our “belt” we can better determine an appropriate solution to any given problem.  

Drawing Us Back

                                                                                                                                                                                           

We know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us because Christ has poured out His love to us through the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:3-5

In an instant I was dependent for everything. I was accustomed to being independent and working full-time. Work was intense, so I devoted all my time and energy to it. As a result, I put my relationship with God on the back burner, turning to Him only when I needed something.

Until everything changed.

I had a stroke. I’d always been self-sufficient and it was a real struggle to suddenly need help for 

everything. Dependence, in my eyes, was a weakness and I couldn’t accept this as my reality.

“Why did you let this happen, God?” I cried.

It took time, but I realized sometimes God allows problems and setbacks in our lives for reasons we don’t understand. For me, it was a physical battle. I needed to learn my weakness was in the failure to depend on Christ…my stubbornness to manage alone.

I could question God, ask why He would let this happen, or I could trust Him to do what’s best for me—even when I couldn’t see the purpose. Grappling with why He’d allowed this, yet trusting in His promise to never leave or forsake me was critical to maintain spiritual strength in the midst of life’s trials. He kept His promise and never left me.

These days I pray more, nurturing my relationship with Him. And, though it takes me time to surrender to His ways, His will, and His timing, the process brings me closer to Him. Even if the circumstances don’t change, I do. I relax as His peace enters my life.

Sometimes His purpose is simply to draw me back to Him.

If you’re facing trouble or hardship, call out to Him. He’ll be there.