I am a starfish – let me tell you why

Each month on Salvos Online, Rosy, the Territorial Secretary for Spiritual Life Development, shares her thoughts and reflections on the spiritual issues that shape our lives as Christians, exploring how our faith intersects with our everyday experiences and how we can deepen our relationship with God. Today, she focuses on making a difference – one life at a time.

---

“Again, he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’” (Mark 4:30–32 NIV).

---

I’ve been listening to Paul Kelly’s song From Little Things Big Things Grow on repeat. I tend to do that when I need to be reminded that it’s okay that all the things of ministry seem so small in the face of the need that is so great. It is from little things that the big things grow.

It’s no accident that Jesus describes the kingdom of God as the smallest of all seeds on earth. It’s no accident that it was a child with just a few fish and loaves that his mum packed for him in his lunchbox, who offered it up for one of the greatest miracles of all time.

“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9–10 NIV).

Even the disciples seemed distraught, but the little child offered what he had. After all, he’d heard that this Jesus was magic, wasn’t he?

“And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’” (Matthew 18:3–5 NIV).

We tend to think of older, established Christians in the faith as the ones to admire and look up to, as we should in some regards. But what about the ones we might ‘look down’ upon? Children are literally smaller and shorter. And yet these are the ones Jesus reminds us we might be like. Story upon story in the New Testament shows Jesus inviting the children into his presence, delighting in them and inviting others to consider them.

One line in The Salvation Army Australia’s vision statement says, ‘transforming Australia one life at a time’. Some have said, quite rightly, it’s too small an aim to only change one life around us, our whole lives. We want the whole community! We want the whole family! We want the whole country to know the Lord. And yet, consider this quote:

“If there is to be peace in the world,

there must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations,

there must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,

there must be peace between neighbours.

If there is to be peace between neighbours,

there must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home,

there must be peace in the heart.”

This is from Lao Tzu, a 5th-century BC Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism. In Chinese, Tao means ‘the way’.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6 NIV).

There’s a well-known modern-day parable of the starfish. An old woman comes around the corner of the beach and sees thousands of starfish stranded. She notices a young girl picking them up one by one and taking them out to the ocean so they can survive. She says to her, “You can’t possibly save them all. Why bother at all? It won’t make a difference.”

And the young girl says, “It made a difference to that one.”

When I was thinking of how many starfish, how many people are in need, are on that beach each day, the thought suddenly struck me that I am a starfish too.

Jesus picked me up and put me back into the ocean of his love.

How must it be for Jesus, walking along the beach, looking at the thousands upon thousands, upon millions of stranded starfish, and wishing to pick each one up and save their lives? I join Jesus in the agonising love for God’s people, without trying to take over Jesus’ work for him.

The words from one of my favourite quotes: “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” – Rabbi Tarfon

The feelings I have about wanting to see the whole world saved for Jesus, how much more does Jesus feel that himself? While I was praying and agonising over the sense of overwhelm I feel about the world and all that is needed, the Holy Spirit brought this Scripture to mind:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you…?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:34-40 NIV).

When I talked to my husband, Scott, about it, I was amazed that it wasn’t “I was hungry and you built a bakery that fed thousands and became a ministry.” It wasn’t “I was thirsty and you built a well and a church sprang up around it.” It wasn’t “I needed clothes and you started a new clothes bank” or “I was in prison and you converted the whole prison.”

It was just the one.

And not only the one. It was the least.

I mean, praise God if all that happens as a result! But we must start with the little things for the big things to grow.

I’m wondering if we have a bit of a curse of scalability.

Scalability is the capacity to grow larger. If God’s kingdom is upside down, then that means it won’t make sense in the way business principles can be applied. We can’t only invest our time and capacity into things that might have a massive crop.

Sometimes numbers aren’t the best indication of health, and attendance isn’t the best representation of the Spirit at work. Some of the most meaningful spaces for spiritual growth in my life involve only three, four, or 10 people maximum. And some of the ideas or acts may never see the light of day, let alone become a feasible ministry.

The person we give a cup of water to might not turn out to be a soldier. The person we visit in prison might not convert their entire block. They might not even become a Christian!

But Jesus says, whatever we do for the least, the one, the small, we’ve done for him.

So, where might we return to find the wisdom of the small things of this world? Will we slow down enough to listen?

The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 says that the servant who received one talent and buried it was unfaithful. Their defence? Well, they knew their master was a hard man, “So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.” (Matthew 25:25 NIV).

They had only one talent to look after, so they wanted to return it as is, with no risk of loss.

If we consider the ‘talent’ we receive as a bag of seeds, we are called to be reckless sowers. We are to scatter our seed and investment, our time, money and talents, across all types of people and all circumstances, allowing the Lord to judge the soil for himself. We’re not to despair at the seed that appears lost. All we must do is sow.

It made a difference in my life. It makes a difference in your life.

It makes a difference for that one starfish.

And that one.

And that one.

Do it anyway.

Inscribed on the wall of Mother Teresa’s children’s home in Calcutta:

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centred;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;Do good anyway.Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;It was never between you and them anyway.”