When it comes to making a positive difference in the world, sometimes young people say ‘What can I do – I’m just a kid!’
The answer to that is LOTS! Kids from all around the world have made a difference to other people’s lives and continue to do so right now. So don’t think just because you are young that you cannot make the lives of others better. God’s Word says in 1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (NRSV) God is saying to you that even though you might be young, you can make a difference for Him in your community!
In this series we explore 4 ways Jesus changed the world around him and we know you can do so too 🙂
1) Including the Excluded:
Sometimes kids are left out of things others get to always do and it feels horrible. It is like being unfairly “red‐carded” while playing soccer even though you did nothing wrong! Unfairly in real life, many people never leave the sidelines and get into the game. Without even breaking the rules or inflicting pain on anyone else, they are red‐carded and left out from normal activities. Maybe it is because they are girls and only boys are allowed to do something. Maybe it’s because they look different from everybody else. Maybe it is because they talk funny or they walk funny or they act funny. But no matter why kids get excluded, it always feels horrible.
A long time ago – about 200 years – a boy became blind when he was only 3. This meant he was left out of a lot of things that we all enjoy. Mostly he felt left out of reading as he couldn’t see the words. So Louis, at age 15, decided to do something about that and he created a special way of writing words using small bumps in the paper. This meant that now even blind people could read and they were no longer excluded! Today this clever system of writing means 1000’s of blind people get included and is even named after the young guy that invented it – Louis Braille.[1]
It was a simple idea that has changed the lives of so many. But Louis Braille had to think about how he would include the excluded – how he could help people who were being left out. It didn’t happen by accident. Look around you – can you think of ways in which you can include those who are being left out? But don’t just think about including them – do it as well.
This girl who is blind is able to read a book using the special Braille writing! She is not left out when it comes to reading books 🙂
[1] http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/photos/8-amazing-kids-who-have-changed-the-world/louis-braille#top-desktop
Salvo Social Justice 