Make a Difference

Most of us want to make a difference in the lives of the people we love. Of course, we are never quite sure how our attempts to make a difference will turn out, but we want to make a difference none-the-less.

Every one of us has been put on this earth for one thing and it is summed up in those three words—make a difference. We are not here to serve ourselves; we are not here to live a life that is self-centered. We are here for others; we are here to make a difference.

To be sure, life is routine and because it is so, people feel that they cannot make a difference because life demands that we deal with the "every day." But routine is significant; it requires us to be responsible. In the midst of the routine, in the midst of going to work every day, doing this task and that job, we must never forget to make a difference. To make a difference in the lives of others in the midst of the routine, makes the ordinary memorable. We need to make a difference in the lives of co-workers, in the lives of fellow students, and we must not fail to make a difference in the lives of family; for we are who we are because of parents and others who have made a difference in our lives. Every accomplishment in life cannot be had apart from the difference others make in our lives. If we are thankful for the difference they have made for us, it will be shown in the way we make a difference in the lives of others.

And not only should we make a difference in the routine of the everyday, we need to make a difference, out of the routine, in extraordinary ways as well. There are many ways to do that. We can volunteer our time with religious organizations, charitable groups; we can make a difference tutoring a child, delivering Meals on Wheels and working with Habitat for Humanity. There are so many ways to make a difference out of the routine that no one person has enough lifetime to utilize every opportunity. We must make a difference in the routine of the day and we must never allow the routine, we must never allow the busyness and the hectic nature of life to become an excuse for not making a difference. There is a familiar saying: “There are those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.” In the midst of life’s responsibilities we need to pay attention to what is going on around us, so we can be persons who make things happen.


An anonymous author writes the following:

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

 We cannot make a difference unless we are different. We must treat others as equals and not use or manipulate anyone for our own selfish ends; let us live honestly, reflecting character and integrity in our lives. Let us do the right thing even when no one else is looking and live in a way that will earn the respect of our peers, and in so doing, we will find that people will seek us out when they need help, when they need advice, when they need something important accomplished. Because our life is different, others will look to us to make a difference.

So, today... make a difference.