One at a Time

Adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977)

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. 

Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out.  If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf.  Then, smiling at the man, he said, ”I made a difference for that one.”

Yesterday, I woke up from a physically exhausting Saturday. I looked at the clock and realized that it was 9:45am, leaving me with 45min to get to church. Still groggy and dazed from the insufficient rest, I went through the routine of reading my Sunday newspapers. However when I observed that it was 10:15am, I jumped into the shower to get myself ready to go church. I struggled to get my engine going through the time and finally left the house late at 10:35, walking sluggishly.

I detest going to church late. More so because I used to chide my youths about needing to be punctual for God. The walk to church was a battle I had with my inner demons as I was tempted to skip service and go to my RR room to prepare my stuff. That, of course, resulted in the walk being slower than normal as I procrastinated and deliberated with myself.

Imagine my horror when I stepped into church, 15 minutes late to find the carpark empty and the sound of worship missing. Quietly, I sneaked up to the upper hall to seat and wondered to myself why the service was conducted in mandarin and pondered if it would be a combined service that I was unaware of. Suddenly, as I gazed at my watch and realized that it was only 9:45am! Not 10:45am.

Apparently in my daze and confusion, I woke up and made an error in reading the time. Gosh I felt like the world greatest idiot for berating myself and allowing myself to contemplate the idea of skipping church service because I chose to read the papers that resulted in me being “late” for church.

Feeling totally stupid and having no one in church to be with, I sullenly went to whampoa market to have breakfast alone and when I came back to church, there was still another 10 minutes before service started. Thus, I proceeded to go to the sink to wash my hands. There, I met one of the active Chinese congregation church aunties and our greeting niceties progressed into a 10 minute long, deep conversation of what I was doing in living spring fellowship. I was most blessed when she informed me of her intentions to pray for me before we parted our ways. So, we stood there in the middle of the pathway as I was prayed for.

I’ve never experienced this in my 35 years of church, similarly for the stupid boo-boo of the morning, but I was greatly blessed because someone of her age decided to make a difference to me when she had the chance. Random as it was, it was a meaningful attempt for her to encourage and build into a younger life she chanced on.

How often we just walk away after a conversation and fail to seize the kairos moment to impart a blessing that would be sealed in heaven. In our natural state, it may seem to be an inconsequential act, but going the extra mile to bless in prayer is really akin to bending down to helping one starfish, even if it's one in an ocean of many.

blessings,

M.

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 9:17)