This story is about an old man who walks on the beach every morning. While he walks, he stops to toss starfish back into the ocean. One day, a little boy runs up to him and asks him what he is doing. The man explains that if the sun beats on the starfish for too long, they will die, so he throws them back into the ocean to save their lives.
The little boy takes this in momentarily and then looks down at the sand. “There are thousands of starfish here,” he says to the man, “you can’t possibly save them all. Why are you wasting your time?” The old man acknowledges this statement. Indeed, he cannot save all the starfish on the beach.
He opens his hand and shows the little boy the starfish in his palm. As he tosses it back into the ocean, he explains to the boy that his efforts were not a waste of time for that one starfish. His efforts mattered greatly to that starfish, so he walked the beach every morning and threw starfish back into the sea.
Who Will You Save?
As you reflect on the year ahead, ask yourself, who is the starfish you will save in 2024? You have unique gifts and talents given to you by God. Only you have your unique set of gifts and talents. There are people out there that I will never be able to impact because they don’t relate to my voice but might relate to yours.
List five people you know you can contact and touch their lives this year. They may be that starfish. They may need strength, hope, and truth, and you may be able to give that to them.
I Was Saved
On October 28th, 1990, Jay Cuccia was that guy in my life. He came into my life and told me the truth. He told me who I was and told me that I mattered. He told me it didn’t matter where I came from. It didn’t matter that I was homeless and addicted to drugs. The only thing that mattered was where I was going.
Go out and make a difference in someone’s life this week. It will make you feel good and have a massive impact on them. Post your success story and tag me. I would love to hear all about it.
