Can We be Everywhere?

Written by Judy Johnson
March 5, 2008

'Alice, Alice, Alice! I want you to come help me with my homework!', Carolynn called from her bedroom where she lived in a cozy old fashioned log cabin.

Alice thought to herself, 'Oh no, I want to go to help the kids at the shelter.'

A phone rang in the hall. Alice grabbed the phone and said, 'Hello?'

'Hey, Alice!' came a voice over the scratchy phone line, 'I have not seen you for a long time. I am wondering if we can get together tonight to practice the familiar song on the piano for the seniors home?'

Alice's heart sank, and for she was torn in three opposite directions. She wondered what to do. She wished she could be everywhere at the same time.

She knelt in the hallway, and whispered a prayer, saying, 'Lord, I do not know which is the most important thing to do first. I really wish I could do all these things at the same time but I can not because I am human with my limited abilities. Please tell me which one I should attend to first, whichever you think is the most important thing to do. In my life, I want to make a difference for others, Lord. Amen.'

She started to think out loud, 'If I go to the shelter and let the girl cry on my shoulder, I can comfort her. I can tell that girl that the Lord loves her so much.'

Alice thought for a moment, then said to herself, 'I want to know when do we need to play the piano? If it is for next week, then I can reschedule the date to practice with my friend, Angelia.'

'As for my sister, Carolynn. I will go and help her for a short time. She can work on finding solutions by herself while I am gone to see the girls shelter this evening.'

Alice felt so much better after talking out loud to herself. She thanked God for helping see her through her frustrating time. Off she went to the girls shelter.

We cannot be everywhere at one time, or do everything we would like to do. Sometimes many people need our help but it is more than we can do.

We will have to choose to make a difference to one person at a time. There were many starfish dying along the edge of the shore. A young boy was making a difference to those star fish by throwing one dying star fish at a time back into the water. One man came by and saw what the young boy was doing and said to him, 'Hey, it is no use to throw the dying starfish back into the sea because they will all die, anyway. But the young boy told the man, 'Sir, I am making a difference to that starfish and that one and that one, as he threw them back in one at a time'.

When ever we help one person than that person can turn around and help another person. It is nicer to help others than to stay at home doing nothing.

Edited by AMB