Making A Difference

I’m one of those people who, when asked what she wants to do with her life, will answer, “Make a difference.” For years, this desire to make a difference is
what drove me. It was at the forefront of almost everything I did and it was my main reason for going to work each day.

Then I realized something. While technology has advanced and science has come to explain a lot of things, humanity, at its core, is pretty much the same as it’s always been—broken, unjust, divided, judgmental, hungry for power, thirsty for war, and very, very, well, human. And while one life can have a positive influence on other lives, that one life will most likely be forgotten within a couple of generations and that one life will most likely have changed nothing in the world. Let’s face it, in the scheme of humanity, very few people are remembered for making a profound, prophetic mark on history.

This realization sent me into a period of depression. I became somewhat hopeless. I lost my purpose and my way. I questioned everything I did and wondered what the point was if making a difference wasn’t actually possible. I wondered if making a difference was just a pipedream that people perpetuated to boost morale.

Friends: This is a very dark place to be.

Thankfully, in the years since that initial realization, I have learned to accept its truth but to also live with knowledge that making a difference is far more than a pipedream. Yes. I will likely be forgotten within decades of my death. Even if I’m able to erect a building or start a scholarship fund, or even if I’m able to write and publish a book, the bulk of my life’s work and impact will probably be forgotten. I know this now. And I’m okay with this now. Because I’ve realized that making a difference doesn’t mean changing the course of human-kind by rewriting its history. Making a difference means influencing the lives of human-beings.

Making a difference is finding a ride to Harnett Off-Broadway for the student who otherwise would not attend. Will this student still face many hardships as she grows up? Absolutely. But for that one night, she was safe and happy.

Making a difference is singing a song of hope and encouragement with your best friend at your dad’s retirement service. Will my dad still struggle as he learns to navigate the waters of retirement? Absolutely. But for that one moment, he was at rest and peace with God, and he knew that he truly was not—and would not ever be—alone.

Making a difference is inviting a friend to dinner, talking, and laughing together.
Making a difference is following the music with your niece as she learns to read.
Making a difference is hugging a kid each morning and telling him to have a good day.
Making a difference is helping someone up when she falls down.
Making a difference is singing a song with a shut-in and seeing her face light up when she actually remembers something in a day full of forgetting.
Making a difference is doing anything you can to add light and joy to the lives of those around you anytime you can because life is the sum of all of its moments and each of us only has one life to live and God is the God of the light and joy that are slowly, steadily, and patiently fighting to redeem a broken humanity, one life and soul at a time.