Little things make a difference.

Do you ever sit at a set of traffic lights and look at the car in the lane beside you or in front of you and just wonder what they might be doing today or where they are going? Do you ever sit at a bus stop or a restaurant and make up different scenarios about the people seated near you? Do you ever wonder if they are okay or what their story is?

Or maybe I’m completely wack and it’s just me.

I remember one day I was on the bus on my way home from school. There was a girl sitting a few seats in front of me; she was staring out the window and by the looks of the high pile of textbooks and folders next to her, she was possibly in Year 12. The girl was sitting by herself and seemed to be trapped inside her own bubble of thoughts as she stared outside with her earphones in. Music turned up. World turned off.

I began thinking, I wonder how she is coping with all that school work. I didn’t know this girl from a bar of soap (pause – I have never understood that saying, but it sounded good so meh), she was a complete stranger to me. I didn’t know her story. I didn’t know whether she was going through a rough patch at the time or whether she was absoultely loving life.

Either way, I decided I should pray for her. A short, simple prayer. The cool thing with prayer is that it doesn’t matter how casual, how short or how silly you may think it is; God still listens and He still cares. All I said was, “Hey God, I pray that you be with the girl on the bus with the pile of books. I don’t know what’s going on in her life at the moment, but I ask that you fill her life with your love.” 

A few minutes later she collected her things and before she got off the bus, she randomly turned around and looked down the aisle of the bus, then smiled at me and hopped off.
I am not trying to convince you that my small prayer ‘made’ the girl turn around and smile at me, but I do challenge you to think about it.


Last night we had Speech Night at school and I was voted School Captain with one of my closest friends in my grade. I was absolutely stoked and am so excited for what 2014 has in store for us. When I got home, I received a message from a girl that is in the year below me at school. The message said, “Hey congrats on getting school captain! You definitely deserved it and will do a great job! Glad I voted for you.” To be perfectly honest, I had never really made an effort to talk to this girl at school other than a quick ‘hello’ walking between classes. I sent her a message back saying thank you and told her how much it meant to me.

However, her next message made me really stop and think how important doing small things for others is. “I remember thinking how nice you were after you pulled my collar up on the textiles excursion 🙂 you seem really nice the times we have talked so I’m glad you got chosen.”

We might not realise it made an impact while we are doing it or saying it, but it can honestly change someone’s mood on a day. I hope these stories have inspired you to take a few minutes out of each and every day to do something small for someone else; whether that be holding the elevator door open just a few extra seconds to let that lady with a shopping trolley through or giving a $5 note to a homeless person on the street. 

This video sums up perfecetly how our small good deeds can create a flow on effect.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwAYpLVyeFU 

Keep smiling. x