I 'm Only One by Carol Harrison

 

 

I’m Only One

  I watch the news and hear of pain, see the protests, and escalating conflicts. My heart hurts. I turn off the news and long to bury my head under the covers and pretend or hope it will go away, be resolved, or at least not touch any closer to home. But I know this brokenness exists. I realize people are hurting and need others to stand with them and for them. What can I do? I am only one.

I hear about social issues close to home, people in my community who need so much. Poverty, hungry children, those with mental illness, addictions, or disabilities live here. Their needs are often ignored. They are forgotten for no one wants to understand, offer a helping hand, a listening ear. The marginalized don't seem to have a voice. This breaks my heart. What can I do? I am only one.

Abuse happens even in homes we least likely expect it to. Pornography permeates places we never think it might. Women disappear. Human trafficking doesn’t just happen somewhere else. Fear and shame hover near. Anger and outrage erupts as abuse, disappearances, or extreme anguish and pain surface for others to see. Then my heart aches. What can I do? I am only one.

Racism rears its ugly head over and over; not just in other places but close to home. People need to be seen for who they are – wonderfully made by God, even though many don’t acknowledge that. The need for equality, fairness, and acceptance surround me. My heart cries. What can I do? I am only one.

Countless numbers need to hear the good news of the gospel; the news that God loves them and Jesus took their place on the cross. Some are waiting to hear for the first time. Some are waiting to see this good news shared through actions and attitudes, not words only. They’ve been hurt by too many in the name of Christianity, by those who do not live with the attitudes and actions God desires. Do I share my faith in tangible ways? Do I share it through my words, my actions, my attitudes? My heart sorrows for when I don’t. What can I do?

Too often I allow defeat to render me ineffective for I am only one against so many problems, trials, and injustices. Sometimes I still long to hide away and hope someone else sounds the alarm, walks alongside to help, or rallies others to make a difference. But that is not what God commands in Scripture. I am not only one. I am part of the body of Christ. I am part of humanity.

What can I do? There are many things for each one of us, including me, to do. First I must remain faithful to God's Word. Then I must allow God to help me live His truth everyday even when I don’t understand how to help others in this broken world around me.

Matthew 6: 14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to every one in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

What can I do? I am only one. One little light in a dark and hurting world. Matthew 10: 42 says “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” A cup of water is one little thing. Actively listening to someone’s story and accepting them for who they are and where they are is one little thing. Giving funds or provisions to someone who desperately needs them is one little thing. I can do one small thing at a time, which will touch the life of one person, who in turn can touch someone else. A chain of small things can change the world.

My heart hurts for all the pain and suffering. It breaks for all those misunderstood, unloved, or abused. But what has God placed in my heart to write about, talk about, and take action on when opportunity knocks? Several things pull harder on my heart strings or at least more often. One is inclusion for those with disabilities. What does it really mean to include those who move and learn differently? I am only one but I can speak to this and write about it for I have lived it for years as an advocate for my daughter. What I write about is born from my desire to educate others and encourage them to know the person, see the ability within the disability, and how we all are created by God to be our unique selves.

There are times my heart is heavy, my emotions tear-filled, and darkness threatens to overtake me. Depression has been an issue in my life. As God brought people to walk alongside, counsel, and encourage me, so now my heart pulls me to help and encourage others.

Maybe I hang back because I don’t like conflict. Most hot button issues fan conflict, increase the pain, and make me want to hide instead of being God's light and help to others. My heart still hurts and my conscience pricks when I abdicate doing and not just reading God's commands in the Bible. What can I do? I am only one.

I can live life, with God’s help, as described in Colossians 3: 12–15. It also reminds me I am not alone but part of a group, the body of believers.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you many have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  

What can I do? I am only one, but I serve the God for whom nothing is impossible. I will be faithful to what he asks me to speak or write. I will walk with someone who is hurting instead of hiding under the covers. I am only one but God can use me in ways I can’t imagine, to make a difference for someone else.  Yes, I am only one but Jesus is THE ONLY ONE.

 

 

 Carol Harrison shares her stories of hope and God's faithfulness from her home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her desire is to walk humbly through whatever doors God opens to encourage others in their own journey's and tell them the stories of Jesus.