"Please God, Show Me What To Do"

One day I was walking along the beach after a meeting. I saw an old man walking toward me. Every so often, he would kneel down, pick something up and study it for a moment. Then, he would either put it back on the beach or throw it into the sea. As we drew nearer to each other, I noticed that the beach was littered with starfish, washed up by the tide. The old man was searching for live ones and returning them to the sea. When we were close enough to speak, I told him how pointless his efforts were. There were too many of them. He could not possibly make a difference. In reply, he threw a living starfish into the sea, and said, “It made a difference to that one.” Then, he leaned closer, adding, “I could use a little help.”