A tourist is walking down a long stretch of deserted beach on the ocean when he comes upon a startling scene; thousands and thousands of starfish have washed up on the shore and will not survive the day as the tide recedes. Then the tourist spots a local man, picking up the starfish, one by one, and casting them back into the sea. The tourist goes to the man and says, “What are you doing? There is no way you can save all these starfish. How do you expect to make a difference?”  The local man continues to pick up another starfish and casts it back into the ocean and responds, “made a difference to that one.” I am certain that if you have lived, you have impacted someone’s life in a positive way. Now you may never see the impact that your words or actions have had in a person’s life, but it has made a difference. The parable of the sower reminds us that we are meant to sow the seeds; the seeds of love, grace, mercy and the good news found in God’s word. We don’t know how those seeds will be received, but nevertheless, we are called to sow them. Not called to determine if the soil is worthy, or if the time is right or if the conditions are optimal. Rather we are called to make a difference when we can and where we can by sowing these seeds with reckless abandon!  We can do this because we have come to trust that God is the one who brings forth the fruit in our lives and the lives of others. God makes a difference with whatever we do in His name. God is in the business of transformation, and he uses us to bring that about. So, if you ever think that your gift is too small, or that you don’t make a difference or that you are not part of God’s plan to usher in His kingdom, think again. Behold, the God who is making all things new is moving, changing, shaping and forming this world and using our hands and feet so that everything that we do that is truly in His name, helps make bring about that difference!