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The other day I received an email that really made me stop and think seriously about my life. It was a list of questions by Charles Schulz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip. Schulz asked readers to name the five wealthiest people in the world, the winners of Miss America, ten people who have won the Nobel Prize, winners of the Academy Awards and the World Series. To say the least I had very few answers to offer.
The email went on to say that awards tarnish, achievements are forgotten, applause dies and certificates are buried with their owners. Then it went on to ask a new set of questions. The questions were asking us to name a few teachers who have affected our lives in positive ways, friends who have helped us through a difficult time, and people who have encouraged us in achieving our dreams. The point came across very clear that the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. The people who make the biggest difference in our lives are the ones who truly care.
I remember that in high school I barely passed from one grade to the next. Although I worked hard and spent most of my spare time studying, I could not seem to understand or remember the concepts. Then in grade ten I had a math teacher who took interest in helping me. He acknowledged my struggle and offered to teach me if I would come in after school. I was shocked that anyone would want to help me because I thought I was a lost cause. His belief in me had such an impact that I not only got a B in algebra, but all my other grades improved as well. Thanks to him, I graduated from grade twelve. To this day he is one of my heroes.
At times we can feel overwhelmed by the number of needs in this world; I know I have felt that way occasionally. But I have come to realize that I don’t have to be famous to make a difference in one person’s life. It’s like the story of the child putting the star fish back into the ocean. It didn’t seem to make a big difference compared to the hundreds of star fish still on the sand, but it did make a difference to that one star fish. By touching lives one at a time we can make the world a better place.
My husband explained to me the power of touching one life at a time. He told me that if one person mentored one person for a year and then both of them mentored different ones the next year and taught them to do likewise, the graph would look something like this: After the first year there would be two, after the second year there would be four, then eight, sixteen and by the end of the sixth year thirty two and so forth. Within thirty three years five billion people’s lives would be touched. We can have a powerful influence on one another and at times we don’t even realize it.
Proverbs 31 tells us the qualities of a virtuous woman and in verse 26 it says “She opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness.” This applies to men as well, that a kind word can go a long way. Telling someone you believe in them, cooking a meal, buying flowers, visiting someone, giving a hug to a lonely soul, smiling and saying thank you, calling someone and offering a prayer, are all ways of affecting lives positively and showing others you care. Whose hero will you be today?