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| Celtic Radio Community > Kirk and Chapel > The Starfish |
| Posted by: Elspeth 25-Feb-2006, 03:23 AM |
| A man and his son were walking along the beach one morning just before sunrise. There had been a wild storm the night before. The wind had screamed and the waves crashed all night long until just a few hours ago when the calm came. The beach was littered with parts of the ocean that had been tossed onto the land. There was seaweed, bits of driftwood and shells. Mostly, though, there were starfish. Starfish everywhere! The man and his boy could hardly walk without stepping on one. “Daddy,” the boy asked. “Will these starfish crawl back to the sea?” “”No, son,” his father answered. “They can’t crawl.” “Then what will happen to them?” The man was sad. He didn’t want to tell his boy what would happen. “When the sun comes out the starfish will dry out and die,” he answered sorrowfully. They walked some more, neither of them talking. Soon the boy bent down, picked up a starfish and threw it into the ocean. A few steps later he did the same thing again. The father became concerned his son was setting himself up for heartbreak. There were so many starfish in need. There was no way he could help them all. “Son, there are thousands of starfish on the beach. You’re just one little boy. What you’re doing isn’t going to change anything. It’s just the way things are. What you’re doing can’t possible matter.” His little boy looked at his father, stooped down, picked up another starfish and threw it back into the ocean. Looking again upon he father, the boy chided, “But, Dad, It mattered to this one.” The boy’s father bent down and picked up a starfish. |
| Posted by: marti64 25-Feb-2006, 04:14 AM |
| Elsbeth: Nice story!!! Kinda like the story called "Footprints in the Sand", at least that's what is reminds me of........I should dig into my "book of quotes" and post some.... Have a great day!!!! Marti |
| Posted by: celticfire 25-Feb-2006, 07:15 AM |
| Aww that's cute!! Thanks for sharing! |
| Posted by: James Milne 25-Feb-2006, 03:47 PM |
| Wonderful! I envy you ability to put things so descriptively. That was a lucid word picture. The story reminds me so much of the debate over capital punishment. What if it was somone you knew. It would make a difference to that one, and to you. Well i'm getting gloomy. Your story wasn't. Jim Milne  |
| Posted by: Elspeth 26-Feb-2006, 05:36 AM |
| Hey marti! Please get out your book and post. And, guys, I should have made it clear, I didn't make up the idea for the story. It was a children's sermon at our church many years ago, one that always stayed with me. I just rewrote it. I found the same premise in a story used as an illustration in the book "The Good Son" about the moral development of boys. I love the meaing of the story. It IS so easy to get caught up in the enourmous need and want to go crawl in a hole somewhere and avoid it all because we can't change it all. Reminds me of the way Jesus healed the sick. He never tried to heal them all in one shot, He could have. But instead, He changed one life at a time. In a personal way. |