Monday, August 22, 2011

One At A Time...

ONE

         I am a thinker. Probably not the most intelligent or clever thinker, but a thinker. Driving in my car, washing dishes, folding clothes... these are times that I get contemplative. I'm guessing that a lot of you are similar. I wish that I thought of practical things such as what I should make for dinner or making sure that I am up to date on adoption paperwork. Most of the time my brain churns and tackles the news of the day. 

Orphans, Middle Eastern crisis, increasing violence, genocide, trafficking, child abuse, AIDS...I see it every time I turn on the news. It can feel a bit overwhelming. I get a bit paralyzed. The pit of my stomach tingles and my brain hurts. It's just too much. If I have to hear about another kid who was murdered by a family member, another wife that was beaten, another family loosing their home...it is unbearable. 

It feels so heavy. But today, I got hopeful. I realized that I know how a difference will be made. One At A Time. The action of many is required to fight some of the grave injustices of our day. However the action of many is inspired by the action of a few. One here and one there who made a difference one step at a time.


How will we free the 27 million people living in slavery? One At A Time.

There are 143 million orphans in the world. How will they be taken care of? One At A Time.


How will we stop bullies from terrorizing people in their schools? One At A Time.


The average american household has $15,799 of credit card debt. How will they get out from under what they owe? One Dollar At A Time.


America has 12.8 million drug addicts. How will we reach them? One At A Time.


I focus so often on all that I can't do and I forget all that I can do. I can say "stop" when I hear someone make a derogatory statement to another human. I can place value on people by being kind to the person in front of me. When images of starving children flash on my screen, I can pray for God to provide for their needs. The next time I see people living in oppression and addiction, I can remind them that there is One who gives hope & One who delivers.

One step. One word. One day. One person. One At A Time. 

3 comments:

  1. Hi Elizabeth - what an awesome post. I think we all need to hear this because the world's problems as a whole is just too overwhelming. I also want to make a difference - one person/act of kindness at a time. Thanks for the encouragement
    God bless
    Tracy

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  2. This is so empowering. I especially need it today as I feel overwhelmed by all those hurting around me.

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  3. Mmmm... Ding ding ding!
    I very much think so in terms of measure.
    whilst doubt will say yeah probably cant make a difference in the grand schemes or im not one of them. you might be! Hence, Amen . . .

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