Making A Difference

Have you ever seen the movie Pollyanna?


It's the story of an orphaned girl who goes to live with her wealthy Aunt Polly in a stuck-up town full of pomp. While there her cheerfulness and "glad" outlook touch everyone, and people start changing their attitudes and becoming more glad about life in general. Pollyanna brings sunshine into their lives.


However, something happens and now the townspeople need to show Pollyanna how much she has done for them and how much they love her. They all arrive at her house to make her realize that.


You see, Pollyanna was touching lives by simply living her own; she was going about her daily business and was unconsciously making a difference.


I recently watched this movie and realized that this applies to us. As Christians, we are called to be a light in the world and to let our lights shine before men. In John 15:19 Jesus says that we do not belong to the world but that he has chosen us out of it.


My point?


We should be making a difference in the lives of the people around us. And it should eventually become second-nature to us. There are ways we can purposely touch lives, such as taking food to a sick person, helping with a ministry at church, or spending time with a sibling. There are also ways we can unconsciously show Christ: having good attitudes(oh, a tough one!), being an encouragement, giving a smile.


Jesus should be seen in every aspect of our lives, wherever we are, whatever we're doing. If someone sees you having patience in a situation instead of getting upset, that's not the way they would usually see people respond; there must be something different about you!


Take some time to think about some areas where you need to change in order to show Christ in your life. Do you need to have better attitudes? Are there ways you can be more encouraging to others? Perhaps for you there are certain places that need to be worked on. For example, can you maintain a pretty good attitude at school or with friends, then once you get home all that goes down the drain and you're complaining, grumpy, and altogether sour?


Once you pinpoint something, make an effort to change it for the better. Take action and determine to make a difference in this area. As you continue to practice touching lives and cultivating some good habits, showing Christ and making differences becomes natural. That's exactly what should happen.



~Princess Gloria