If you’re starting a business, launching a blog or ministry, or pursuing any other sort of entrepreneurial endeavor, chances are that you’re trying to reach a lot of people with your message/product/service. You likely have dreams of making a big difference in the world! This is wonderful, because we need people who are using their gifts and talents to positively impact those around them.
However, turning our big idea into reality can quickly become overwhelming. How can we affect the people who want and need what we have to offer?
The answer is this: Help one person.
It almost seems counter-intuitive to focus on just one individual, but that’s where the most meaningful impact happens.
St. Teresa of Calcutta states this perfectly:
Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.
Christian recording artist, Matthew West, illustrates this message well. Several years ago he reached out to fans and asked them to submit letters telling their own personal stories. He turned these heart-breaking experiences into personal songs about what God’s response would be to offer hope and healing to that specific person. Instead of trying to write songs with the idea of reaching thousands and millions of people, he chose to focus on addressing one person’s pain. These songs have been collected into albums and have affected so many because of intentionally acknowledging one person at a time.
And just this week (because that’s how God works), I ran across an absolutely amazing article by Chris Marlow who is the founder of Help One Now and author of the new book, Doing Good is Simple. In it he writes:
Yes, the problems we face are big, but it’s far better to focus on the small. Here’s what I mean: You might not be able to fix all the problems in the world, but what if you focused on just a few?
For example, there’s a story in my book that shows how small can be really big.
In 2012, Help One Now gave a $300 microloan to a family in Zimbabwe who used it to start a chicken farm. I had a chance to visit the family the following year, and I asked the father what he liked best about having his own business. I was expecting him to mention the greater financial security the family had, or the fact that his kids were regularly in school, or their future potential.
Instead, he answered, “What I love the most is that every Thursday, I’m able to take my son to get an ice cream cone.”
Sometimes, doing good and making a difference is simply helping a dad buy an ice cream cone for his son. When all of the world’s problems seem so big, so out of our reach, just remember this: $300 literally transformed an entire family’s future.
Maybe we can’t help everyone, but we can help ONE family. And if we all did that, imagine the possibilities, the beauty, the impact!
Please do yourself a favor and read the entire inspiring article here.
When we take the time to really listen to a person and help them solve a problem, we build trust and cultivate hope. Individuals are who matter. And it takes inspired individuals to come together to make a thriving community.
Still struggling with where to begin? Take a piece of advice from Michael Hyatt and “do the next right thing.” Our path will become more clear as we take action towards what we think we are called to do.
How are you using your gifts to help someone else? What dreams do you have for the world?
Thanks Stef!
Good-“God-timing” again. One of my take-over habits when things start to pile, of course, I get overwhelmed and then stuck. I am so anxious to restart my business, but some things must wait their turn.
I completely understand! It’s so hard to be patient!