Making a difference. . .

I heard a speaker yesterday talk about the importance of letting the other people in our lives know that they are making a difference to us.  We can do this in myriad ways.  Obviously we can say thank you.  We can make eye contact and smile.  We can send a note of gratitude.  Even an e-mail counts.

We can reach out and physically touch our fellow travelers in a loving way. That’s one of my favorites.  I like to reach out and offer a hand or a hug to the person who stands before me.  I get great satisfaction giving away that which I also want to receive.  Making this connection carries with it such healing power.

Actually, we can even say silent prayers for those among us who are struggling. Since the prayers are silent, they likely don’t know we are honoring them, at the time the prayer is being said, but God knows and we know too.  The power of the prayer is reflected in the moment and ultimately, in the heart of the one who was prayed for too.

Our hearts are changed every time we extend ourselves to another in some way.  The even more important ramification of this is that there is a ripple effect.  My prayer and the recipient of my prayer aren’t the only people who are positively impacted.  What is said on behalf of one reaches all.  What heals one, heals all.  And what harms one, harms all. We must be aware of our actions, and our power, every minute.

I have heard it said that rapt attention to one another’s presence is the greatest gift we can offer and costs nary a dime.  It costs time, nothing more.  But the benefits to every person are immense.  Additionally, every person who is honored by your attention to them quite naturally passes the honor on.  As we feel gratified, we quite simply and naturally want to gratify others.  In this way we each have the capacity to make a difference in the whole community and as communities change, so do countries.  Playing this out to it’s natural conclusion is both amazing and profound.  Wouldn’t you agree?

If you think you don’t make a difference in the lives of others, think again.  Your every word, every expression, every smile or frown, is being registered in the mind of others.  Be choosy about what you offer to the public at large.  It can come back to haunt you or bless you.  The choice is easy.  Isn’t it?