Multitude of Drops

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said,
"It made a difference for that one.”
― Loren Eiseley

Making a Difference

Have you ever asked yourself why you were chosen to live as a human? Have you ever asked yourself why you weren’t just one of the plants in your garden? Or why you weren’t just an abnormally large ball full of hot plasma?

Purpose. That is what lives in all of us. It’s what keeps our hearts beating, our palms sweating, and our bodies itching for something to do. Purpose. Everyone has it; it is not lost but simply not found by everyone.  Every single person in the world has a purpose, a mission to fulfill. This purpose is what keeps us in this world. Purpose is what keeps us alive.

What happens when one carries out this purpose? Now that’s good question. Once you start doing what you were made to be doing, that’s when you start to make a difference.

What is a difference? Making a difference is doing something unusually special that it forms a big change to everyone’s usual lives. Making a difference may be helping someone get up on their feet just after they tripped. It may be choosing to accept who you are and encouraging others to do the same. A difference could be just simply burying a seed deep in soil, hoping it would grow into a big tree someday. Even a hug can be considered a difference.

A difference is not only change you are doing to yourself, but also to the people you touch around you. Believe it or not, every single person is programmed or made with a purpose to make a difference. They are made to do something unique that would create different possible futures for everyone around them.

 A simple helping hand can lead to an everlasting friendship. And something that is as small as a hug could transform into never ending arms of love.

 Every single thing around you is connected; there is a reason for every event that occurs. There is a purpose for every difference.

Let's take a look at a few people who truly made a difference...

Thomas Alva Edison-

Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847. He was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Edison did not invent the first electric light bulb, but instead invented the first commercially practical incandescent light. And before he successfully invented it, he has tried and failed 1,000 times first before he succeeded.  

Why didn’t Edison simply give up? Purpose. He had a goal and he was absolutely determined to achieve it. When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, "I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” Now that is an example of a very hardworking man!

He died on October 18, 1931 yet his inventions still live on with us to this very day. He made a difference. He made something unique and strange. He followed his purpose and look at what he has contributed to the world. If he simply gave up… what would’ve happened? Will we be still lighting candles for the illumination we truly need? Maybe. But he didn’t give up, he lived out his purpose, he changed the world. He made a difference.

Mother Teresa-

Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation, which in 2012 consisted of over 4,500 sisters and is active in 133 countries. They run hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis; soup kitchens; children's and family counseling programmes; orphanages; and schools. Members of the order must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and the fourth vow, to give "Wholehearted and Free service to the poorest of the poor".

Mother Teresa was the recipient of numerous honors including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. In late 2003, she was beatified, the third step toward possible sainthood, giving her the title "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta."

Mother Teresa has helped thousands upon thousands of people even after her death. She created homes for the homeless and nurtured the hungry. She travelled all over the world in order to help people and show them Christ’s love. Helping people was her purpose, and with her purpose she has made a difference.

“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”
-Mother Teresa

    Nicholas James "Nick" Vujicic-

He is an Australian Christian evangelist and motivational speaker born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs. As a child, he struggled mentally and emotionally as well as physically, but eventually came to terms with his disability. At the age of seventeen he started his own non-profit organization, Life Without Limbs. Vujicic presents motivational speeches worldwide which focus on life with a disability, hope and finding meaning in life. He also speaks about his belief that God can use any willing heart to do his work and that God is big enough to overcome any disability.

He has encountered multiple obstacles in life yet that didn’t stop him from fulfilling his purpose. He has spoken to over three million people in over 24 countries on five continents and has told them the importance of faith and of God. He knew his purpose and he continuously is making a difference.

 

How Did They Do It?

                Making a difference doesn’t mean you have to be rich, or famous, or born with a title, it simply means doing what you can in order to fulfill your purpose in life. Nick Vujicic had no arms and no legs… yet he has traveled all across the globe to inspire millions upon millions of people into believing in themselves. Mother Teresa was not rich yet she managed to feed and clothe a thousand people even after her death. Thomas Edison’s works have been continuously upgraded and used by millions of people even after he died.

What do they all have in common? Strength, determination, and a few chunks of earplugs for the times that people told them they can't do it.

You see, making a difference is simply starting what you were already set out to do and keep on doing it. It is simply doing what you were made to do in this earth without hesitation. And once you’ve made this difference, it never ends.

The effect of a single difference stretches out to every single human being in this earth and it never stops. It keeps on touching people around it, inspiring them, loving them, and also urging them to make another difference. It never ends.

Every single being on this earth is connected. Everyone contributes to the same thing even if they are doing it little by little. Every single one of us makes a difference.

You may think that you are small or that the whole world is against you. But you’re wrong. Everything is according to plan, everything is connected, every single event that you have ever encountered is pushing you towards the fulfillment of your purpose in life. May it be refusals or acceptance… it continuously pushes you towards your future and your reason to live in life.

You may think you’re small or even just too insignificant for you know you’re facing a bigger wave from an ocean, about to crash into you.

But you should remember what David Mitchell said: “Yet what is any ocean but a multitude of drops?”

How does one make a difference without starting it? Even that big wave started out small... so why can't you?

Every one of us has a purpose in life.

Every single one of us can make a difference.
It's already a given...

The only true question is:
Do you know what your purpose is?