Starfish

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” “Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…” I made a difference for that one.”

Adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley

When you come to the StealingFaith website, you’ll notice there’s an oddly named category. It’s “Starfish.” That category of blog posts is named in honor of the above story in hope that perhaps these writings can save just one person from potential hurt, to help just one person make something reasonable out of the nonsense.

“Never worry about who will be offended if you speak the Truth. Worry about who will be misled, deceived, and destroyed if you don’t.”

“The greatest thought that has ever entered my mind is that one day I will have to stand before a holy God and give an account of my life.” – Daniel Webster

“You cannot ignore potential spiritual abuse, especially when you are made aware it is happening. To be silent about the abuse makes your culpable in the abuse.” – Matt Redmond

“The first service one owes to others in a community involves listening to the them. Just as our love for God begins with listening to God’s Word, the beginning of love for others is learning to listen to them. God’s love for us is shown by the fact that God not only gives God’s Word, but also lends us God’s ear… We do God’s work for our brothers and sisters when we learn to listen to them.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.'” – Mary Anne Radmacher

“If there’s something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.” – Benjamin Gates, National Treasure

“Nothing is lost, Sassenach; only changed.” “That’s the first law of thermodynamics,” I said, wiping my nose. “No,” he said, “That’s faith.” – Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

“It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.” – Dumbledore