We never know when our actions will influence the world around us. Those everyday exchanges ripple out in every direction—for better or worse. By becoming a champion for good in your everyday life, you can bring about remarkable growth and positive changes.
This reminds me of a story I shared in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series about a young woman named Sally Bush.
Sally thought she saw life change for the better when a widower from her past returned with a proposal of marriage. Nicely attired, he spoke of a prosperous farm. Sally understood him to mention servants, and that meant that he must be a man of substance. She accepted his offer and crossed the river with him to view her new possessions, only to find a farm surrounded by wild blackberry vines.
The house was a floorless, windowless hut. The imaginary servants were two thinly clad, barefoot children. She soon discovered that the father had borrowed the suit and boots to go a’courting. Her first thought was to go back home.
But she looked at the youngest boy, whose gaze met hers, and she decided to stay for the sake of the children who needed a mother.
Each of us has been in her position, wanting to leave the placed we find ourselves in. It’s always easier to let somebody else take responsibility for a seemingly hopeless situation.
But never despair. A boy is the only thing God has out of which to make a man. Sometimes all he needs is a teacher. Sally Bush didn’t know when she looked at the melancholy ten-year-old face that her new stepson’s name was Abraham Lincoln.
0 Comments