Some people make a real difference in the world, now don’t they? Whew. You have the Mahatma Gandhi’s and the Mother Theresa’s. The Abraham Lincoln’s and Nelson Mandela’s. People like Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and on. And on.
But, before I go any further, I have to reference one of the great movies of all time. Yes. It all goes back to “It’s A Wonderful Life.”
That part, when Clarence Oddbody, the Angel without Wings, tells George Bailey that he had done an awful lot for an awful lot of people. (But not a bit of it was…. awful). On the other hand, it was quite wonderful.
It was a cornucopia of the little things that George had done every day. Seemingly common ways he had helped people. And the ripples from those actions went on across the pond of his life. So much, in fact, that it had people like Giuseppe Martini praying to the good Lord above….”Joseph, Jesus and Mary. Help my friend, Mr. Bailey.”
George Bailey made a real difference. In his own very big way.
And. That is what I want to say to each one of us tonight.
Sometimes, I wonder if I am doing what I am supposed to be doing here on this earth, in this existence. But I truly think each one of us does exactly what we are supposed to be doing. It is how the timing of it all works.
The clockworks of our existence. How it all comes together.
Take for instance, a guy named Henry Travers, who was born in Prudhoe, Northumberland, England. And way before my time. He came into this world on March 5, 1874. He immigrated to the United States around 1917. Heck, he died when I was just a year old. He lived 91 years on big ball earth. BUT. Henry made a big difference in my life. In a LOT of people’s lives. You see. He was the guy who played Clarence in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I’m not sure anyone else could have done it like Henry. Actually, I’m pretty sure of it.
You may think this is just a cheesy reference to a silly movie. But I argue that completely.
It is each one of us. Every day of our lives. We do the seemingly “normal” things without much notice from anyone. No fan fare, or ticker tape parades. Our names will not be in history books or on monument walls, most likely.
But the things we do, make a mark on people’s hearts and their souls. That is where the fanfare is. That is where the monument is scribed. And while the rest of the world may not see it, is no matter. The thing that matters is that we have made a difference in one life, somewhere, in time.
That’s where there ripple starts. And it spreads across the pond.
Of life. Of the Universe. Of goodness.
Remember this when your foot hits the floor this morning. You’ve got a big day ahead of you. A big difference to make in someone’s heart.