Little things can change the world

John Blase told the story of college sweethearts, Ashton and Austin Samuelson in his Nov. 1, 2020, Our Daily Bread devotional.

After these two committed followers of Jesus graduated from a Christian college they sought to live out their faith in practical ways, but neither felt God was calling them to a traditional church ministry.

However, the couple was convinced God wanted them to use their entrepreneurial talents to serve him and others by launching a taco restaurant in 2014. They felt a calling to help hungry children.

The young entrepreneurs adopted the BOGO approach to their sales, you know, customers who “buy one get one.” However, the Samuelsons’ adapted the acronym BOGO to mean, “buy one give one.”

For every meal a customer bought, the restaurant matched that purchase and donated money for a nourishing meal for malnourished children.

Starting a new restaurant is hard work, trying to end world hunger is harder. But, so far, the energetic duo has provided meals for starving children in more than 60 countries. Their goal is to do their part to end childhood hunger — “one taco at a time.”

Very few of us have either the resources or energy needed to begin a new restaurant, but God wants all of us to do something that makes the world a better place.

It is no accident that Jesus made this statement, “And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.” (Matthew 10:42, NLT)

If you think about the things you might give, a cup of cold water seems exceedingly insignificant. It is a small thing, unless you are thirsty, just as a taco is a small thing unless you are hungry.

The point is there are little things each of us can do to help others. Making a difference in our world does not mean we have to do something grand; it may mean we do something small, which God can use to help a friend who is struggling.

What can you and I do?

Make a difference in the life of someone who is lonely because of COVID-19. Drop off a meal to a neighbor who is sick. Be a friend to someone who needs a friend.

These are not big things; they are all “cup of water” things. Little things like these may not seem to change the world, but they have the potential to change someone’s life. The reality is that when we change people’s lives, we are in fact changing the world.

Tim Richards grew up in Fairdealing and previously served as associate pastor of Pilgrim’s Rest Church there. He currently serves as a pastor on the staff of Concord Church in South County St. Louis.