The Living Years

The Living Years by Robertson/Rutherford: Every generation, blames the one before And all of their frustrations, come beating on your door. I know that I’m a prisoner. To all my father held so dear I know that I’m a hostage to all his hopes and fears I just wish I could have told him in the living years No crumpled bits of paper Filled with imperfect thoughts Stilted conversations, I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got You say you just don’t see it, he says its perfect sense You just can’t get agreement, in this present tense We all talk a different language, talking in defence Say it loud  Say it clear  You can listen as well as you hear  It’s too late  When we die  To admit we don’t see eye to eye  So we open up a quarrel Between the present and the past We only sacrifice the future And it’s the bitterness that lasts So don’t yield to the fortunes Sometimes see is fate It may have a new perspective on a different date And if you don’t give up and don’t give in you may just be ok So say it say it say it loud Say it clear  You can listen as well as you hear  It’s too late when we die  To admit we don’t see eye to eye  I wasn’t there that morning When my father passed away I didn’t get to tell him all the things I had to say I think I caught his spirit later that same year I’m sure I heard his echo in my baby’s newborn tears I just, wish I could have told him in the living years So say it say it say it loud Say it loud Say it clear  You can listen as well as you hear  Because it’s too late It’s too late when we die  To admit we don’t see eye to eye don’t see eye to eye Performed by:Mike and The Mechanics

Risa Song Lyrics Archive

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One More Starfish

   
As the story goes…. ….Early one morning a man headed out for his customary walk on the beach near his house.  There had been a storm the night before.  Usually something unique would wash up on the sandy shore after a high surf.  He hoped for an unusual ‘find’ to add to his collection of ‘drift-items’.  

As he approached the beach he could see a young boy meandering down the beach. He would stop, lean down, pick up something and toss it into the ocean.   As the man came closer he could see what the boy was doing.  The beach was littered with Starfish that had washed up from the bottom of the ocean by the previous night’s storm.  

He asked the lad, “What are you doing?”   

 The boy, paused, and replied, “I’m rescuing the Starfish.”   

The man, with grown-up wisdom, observed…. “There are hundreds, maybe thousands of Starfish washed up!  There’s too many! It won’t make any difference!” 

The boy paused again, leaned over, picked up another Starfish and tossing it into the water, with a youthful innocence, replied, “It makes a difference to that one.”    Then he continued his meandering course down the beach, pausing, and picking up another stranded Starfish, tossing it into the ocean before it baked and died in the hot sun.  The man stood in awe. With each one tossed into the surf, the boy would say, “It makes a difference to that one……..It makes a difference to that one……… It makes a difference……” 

After a couple of minutes of watching the boy’s determined rescue – the man stepped over to a dying Starfish – leaning down, picked it up, tossing it into the water, saying, “Makes a difference to that one.” And, began his own meandering rescue. 

I don’t know that God is as concerned with great efforts, great programs or huge ministries as He is with our ‘one Starfish at a time’, personal efforts.  What “Starfish” has God put on the beach of our lives today?  What single effort can I do today to ‘make a difference’ – maybe in, or after, a storm has swept ashore, in our path, the debris of some life?   There’s no applause, no accolades, no Servant Towels, just the satisfaction of ‘I did what I could, with what I have’.    There may be times when we feel our efforts would be ineffective or too feeble compared to the overall task of making a ‘big’ difference.  Others may scoff or discourage our attempts with their own pessimistic conclusion, “It won’t make any difference.” 

Remember, discouragement is from the Father of Lies, not from the Father of Light!  Who knows that our ‘Starfish’ rescue effort is a smile, a word of encouragement, a hug, a prayer, an ‘attaboy’ or ‘attagirl’, a phone call, a card, an email, a little more in the contribution, a can of beans, a meal delivered, a visit, etc. We each can, I believe, find our own “Starfish”. The bottom line is we must set out to do what we find God has called us to do and purposed for each of us, respectively. 

So, whether your daily walk is a dead-on-target straight line or a meandering search on your beach of life – look for ‘one more Starfish’ because “It will make a difference for that one.” 

To Him Be the Glory and Praise.   

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