You Can Make a Difference Today

Growing up in the Chesapeake Bay area, I observed firsthand the dramatic erosion massive storms inflicted on waterfront homes. Properties that successfully weathered these storms not only were equipped with stone bulkheads, but also employed breakwaters (artificial stone walls a short distance from shore) to lessen the destructive impact of crashing waves on the shoreline.

In today’s stormy political and economic situation, perhaps it is a time we as a nation begin installing breakwaters in our daily interactions? One way to do this is to return to the way of life we lived for centuries—by being polite, respectful, and caring towards one another.

Jesus made it pretty simple by saying in John 13:34, “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you are to love one another.” I find it significant that Jesus did not say this was optional or a suggestion, but instead a command. We are commanded to love others as we love ourselves. And He didn’t qualify this commandment by saying, “If you have the same political views,” or “If you feel like it.”

I don’t think He was asking us to go hug everyone we see, but if He were walking the streets today, what would we see Him doing? Maybe He would open the door for someone entering the post office. Perhaps He would smile at people on the street and say, “Have a nice day.” He might even stop the person cleaning the floors in a store and thank them for doing such a nice job.

While we don’t know what Jesus would do, every day we can choose to bless others with a smile, a kind word, or that parking space closest to the store we were eyeing. It costs nothing but can be worth so much in restoring good will towards others. Also, you’ll never know until you reach heaven if your simple act of noticing someone and smiling at him/her changed the course of his/her life.

St. Francis of Assisi wrote, “Witness by all means, and if necessary, use words.” You’ll never know the impact a smile, kind word, or opened door can have in someone’s life. Maybe you won’t share the Good News Jesus offers with everyone you meet, but your polite manners, a kind word, or a genuine smile may lay the groundwork for someone else!