Positive Difference/Negative Difference

 Good morning!

 I don’t know if you’ve been outside yet, but the day is starting out just beautifully.  The air is clean following a brief shower earlier, there is just a hint of crispness in the air, and the world is going about normal business for this Thursday.

Yes, we have issues “out there” in the world today.  We continue to see grown men and women act like four-year-olds in Washington D.C. as well as Topeka.  We continue to have death and destruction in places like Gaza, Minnesota, and Kansas.  Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural occurrences plague parts of the world.  Yes, we do have our share of issues…both natural and man-made.

But God has also provided us with a glimpse of what the creation could be…and will be one day through the present glory of nature and the goodness of mankind that is often on display.  Yes, there is the presence of God in nature, and there are countless acts of goodness and service…some of which we are privileged to know about, see for ourselves, or even be part of.

As you may know, Jane Goodall, the woman who conducted more than six decades of field research on the social and family life of wild chimpanzees, and became quite famous doing so, died recently.  Circulating on social media is a quote attributed to her.  This is what she was purported to have said at one time:  “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

As I see it, there aren’t many choices when it comes to the kind of difference you may want to make in your daily life and living routine.  It seems to me that we can make either a positive difference of some kind, or a negative difference…and that’s about the extent of the choices.  It’s the very rare person who, in the course of his or her day, makes no difference at all.  In fact, I would step on a limb here and say that making no difference is not possible, regardless of who you are, what you do or what your situation is on any given day.

So, if I want to make a positive difference today, how might I best do that?  Well, as a Jesus disciple, my answer would be to emulate the life of the man from Galilee.  “Love your neighbor as yourself.  Be kind to one-another…tenderhearted, forgiving one another.  Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”  And if you’re a Jesus follower, you can surely think of other ways to make a positive difference in your daily living and interactions with others.

So, what would be the antithesis of that…the opposite of making a positive difference?  It would seem to me to be just the opposite of what I just said regarding how we make a positive difference.  “Love yourself and care not for your neighbor.  Treat others with disdain…put them down and elevate yourself.  Continue holding grudges and get even.  Worship the gods of the world…money, sex, and power.”

It seems kind of bold of me to put the negative difference makers in such plain English.  I want to reel back and say, “No, I don’t do those things!”  But if I’m honest with myself I have to admit that those things are lurking inside of me, and if given the chance will rise up in some way that makes ME the god…that makes ME the one I want to serve.

And they can be subtle…so subtle, in fact, that we actually believe we’re doing something good and noble when in reality we’re doing it only for ourselves and for our own gratification.

Being truly kind, serving, forgiving and loving is more difficult than one might think, and requires a strength not found within ourselves.  We have to go outside of ourselves to find that strength and motivation.  And for many of us, THAT is found in a relationship with that same Jesus we mentioned a bit earlier…the one of whom it is said is indeed God in the flesh…the one we can know and can emulate as he himself lived among us and showed us what it means to love, forgive, and serve, putting away our selfishness and pride.

Yes, Ms. Goodall.  I think you are correct.  We DO have an impact on the world around us each day…whether that world is in the office where we work, the home where we live, the hospital room where we are recovering, the nursing home room where we are spending our last days, the school where we learn, or the grocery store where we buy our necessities.

And so I leave you with this thought today.  The question is, will that impact be positive or negative.  Will we make the world…or at least our corner of it…a better place for our having been there, or will we leave that corner in shambles at the expense of others and for our benefit?

 Blessings,