Making a Change

       I was sitting in my living room across from my dad, as the tears came to my eyes, "I just really want to make a difference." You see, I look at my dad and see a man who has made a difference in so many lives. He just has so much wisdom and knows what to say; while, sometimes I feel so tongue-tied and wonder if the words that come out of my mouth make any sense whatsoever. I am much better at sitting down and collecting my thoughts on paper; it's still a process learning to sit and talk to someone and give them solid advice.
      So, I sat on the porch with a friend the other night wondering exactly what words to say. My mind could only be going 100mph, and somehow, no words I said made any sense to me whatsoever until I remembered the small rock I carried with me wherever I go. I remembered that my dad had given it to me as he has many different people. It symbolizes faith, something you can't see or touch. I often grabbed that rock and rolled it over and over in the palm of my hand, feeling deep in my heart that God was there with me and all I had to do was to have faith in Him. I've pulled that rock out of my pocket many times at work, clutching to the faith that He was with me wherever I was or whatever was going on around me. So, I gave that rock to my friend and kinda told her about it. I can always get another rock; it's not a big deal.
      I go to my cottage of girls yesterday and all at once, each one of them want to talk to me....I sat there listening, and my mind flashed back to when I was a teenager, having my own set of problems. I remember sitting there, talking to my mentors at the time, taking in everything they were telling me, wondering how they knew what to say. Cause, then, my mind was in a "pause" mode. What do you say to a girl who has been told all of her life that she wasn't wanted? That her life was a mistake? That she meant nothing to her mom? What do you say as she sits there crying her eyes out, telling me that she's been in 7 foster homes and no one really wanted her? That her temper has gotten the best of her over and over and people were afraid of her in past placements? The first thing I realized was that she was hurting far deeper than I could ever help. All I knew was that I hurt that she was hurting. I told her that. I also told her that I could see that she had a big heart for others and that she should never lose that. Then I made a mental note to go and get a bunch of "faith" rocks to hand out to these girls who are struggling. Sometimes, something tangible just makes a difference. I won't push religion on them, but I can tell them why I have faith.
       It's not at all about religion. It's about the Man who created the Universe. The common denominator between all of us, humans. It's about how we all can come together and always have that common denominator even if the rest is different. So, I can't really make a difference. All I can do is show the LOVE that is poured into me from my God. To walk in the love is the true mark of a Christian. That LOVE will make that CHANGE.