Being presumptuous, and making a difference.

I wondered if this might be a bit presumptuous of me to start a blog. I mean what would make me think that anything I might have to say would be of any interest to others. I do not know the answer to this. What I do know is that this world is off kilter and sitting and doing nothing, I will not help.

Many think that they alone cannot make a difference. However, I beg to differ with them. History is overflowing with examples of how one person made a difference. Look at Jesus, and what a change He made. It does not matter if you believe in Him or not, you have to admit that He altered the world we live in.

I chose the title Woman at the Well because of another who made a difference. The woman at the well in Samaria. The story can be found in John 4:4-42. She had a great influence on her whole town. This is who I wish to be like. I am like her in many ways. I too have been married five times. I too believed in the scriptures when I finally met Jesus. And I too want to tell everyone about Him.

But getting back to the main topic here, you can make a difference if you are consistent in your life. That is to say, if your actions and words match and do not change day to day. You make a difference by “setting an example.” We all have opinions and beliefs, but they are pretty much useless if we do not act on them. “How do we act on them?” you may ask, well there are endless ways.

I believe it wrong to gossip, so I refuse to do it and I also refuse to listen to it.(However in all honesty, I often fail at this and am working hard on it now) I believe crude humor and jokes are un-Christ-like, so when someone tells an ugly joke, even if I am in a group, I do not laugh, I do not smile. I do not make a scene, look horrified, or tell them that it is wrong to do this. I just do nothing. This is not a passive thing. It is active in as much as I refuse to do that which is expected of me. My actions do not condemn them, only what they have done. I do not try to force my way on anyone, but neither will I have the ways of others forced on me, not even to fit in.

It is each of us, either bending to peer pressure or resisting it, that set the standard for what is socially correct behavior. In our quest to be loved, liked, accepted and admired, we tend to go along with the crowd, trying to fit in with people who hold tremendously different goals and ideals. Even when what the crowd is doing makes us uncomfortable. After a while, we become desensitized to things that we once might have recoiled from in horror. We become a shell of who we really are, filled with the essence of others. And we are adults! Think how hard it is for our children in school.

So, can you make a difference? I say you can, but first you must make up your mind where it is you are going and then stay that path no matter what. Never compromise what you are about because it is unpopular or hard to do. If it is right today, it will be right tomorrow, no matter what else changes.

One more thought; in your lifetime, you may not see the changes you helped make. It is like planting a seed; it does not sprout or grow to maturity over night. But be content in knowing you have done the right thing. You have helped make it easier for the next person who travels that path. In other words, you have made a difference.

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Tags: Getting Started, Making a difference

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