Change a Life

Make a difference to that one

A man saw a boy on a beach covered with stranded starfish. The boy was throwing them back into the sea one by one. The man approached and asked, "Do you think you can make a difference with so many starfish washed ashore?"

After a pause, the boy tossed the one in his hand back into the water and said, "It made a difference to that one."

The starfish story shows how you can make a difference — one life at a time. That is one of the main points of the "Ordinary Angels" story. However, there also is a different point we cannot ignore.

Movies often have happy endings. We love a feel-good story. But sometimes the “possible” of your “impossible” is not what you hoped. Things may not turn out as you hoped. A loved one might pass away, a job might end unexpectedly, or a relationship might stay distant. When difficult things happen, it raises hard questions about life. Take a look at this clip that shows Ed's pain.

In the clip, Ashley asked her dad an important question that helped to bring his focus back to God. She helped her dad renew his purpose.

In the starfish story, the child on the beach chose to focus on the one starfish — not the hundreds that did not make it. When Jesus healed the one at the pool of Bethsaida, He walked past many others who were not healed. That is a tough reality.

The Bible speaks to that. The object of our faith is where we must direct our focus. Our faith becomes great not because of what we do or how much faith we have. Our faith is great when we place it in a great God.

This message of trusting God is at the core of our faith experience. It’s okay to ask the hard questions — God can handle it. Do not let the unanswered hard questions turn you away. When you are ready for answers, turn to the Bible to help restore your faith in God. It can change your life.

Jesus used the parable of the lost sheep to show the importance of the one. Jesus said a good shepherd will not stop until he finds the one lost sheep. That is what Sharon did for Ed.

There are times when God will lead someone to pick up and travel to a far-off land. But He tells everyone to start at home. There are times when God has someone speak to thousands. But He also asks us to talk to our neighbors and to those around us in our daily lives. Our role is to listen and do what He asks. Then we leave the results to Him.

Application Questions:

1. How has the Bible helped you renew your sense of purpose?

2. Can you think of a way you can make a difference in someone’s life? Think about a time that you felt stranded, and God used someone to lead you back to Him.

Conclusion

In the middle of Proverbs 22, there is a powerful verse. It is almost as if Solomon called a time-out to remind the reader why he gives these life lessons. It says, “I am teaching you today — yes, you — so you will trust in the Lord” (NLT). That is it. God uses life lessons to build our trust. Our prayer is that these five days spent learning about faith and purpose through the movie "Ordinary Angels" are a reminder to do that — to increase your trust in Him.

Next Steps

Making Your Life Count is resource provider within Cru. We have other YouVersion Bible App based on movies from the Kingdom Story Company. We would like to offer another movie based plan called, "Loving the Other | Jesus Revolution."

Take Action

We would also invite you to say hello and take action at an even deeper level by introducing yourself to us. Come say hello on the special page we have prepared for you!