What K.L.W.'s Dad's Thinking (Part 2)

   Hello Friends, once again this week, I have the privilege of sharing with you some thoughts which are not my own. If you've been a long time reader, you have probably heard from my dad before in What K.W.'s Dad's Thinking. This week, my dad shared with me some thoughts he had on our influence in the world, and I hope you will find them as profound, beautiful, and insightful as I did. I can't wait to see you succeed! ~ K.L.W. 

  The world is connected. Everything in it is connected. Every drop of the Ocean is connected to all the others all around the world.   No one drop has more or less significance, not the drops making up the wave that crashes on the shore and propels surfers and ships or the drops at the deepest depths that bring support to the surface.   Every drop serves its purpose and every drop is connected and therefore significant.   

  It is like that with us as humans as well.   We are all connected, the difference is we have free will and choice and we don't all see our connection.   

  Light is another amazing illustration.   It is all around us, and it is all connected.  In its purest form, however, it would be too intense to view and so we rely on a multitude of surfaces to reflect the light. They are all unique, from the clouds, to trees, and water, but each gives it a different contrast and that is where the beauty comes from.  

  

  Likewise, we are all created in the image of God. God in his glory is too magnificent to behold directly, so we are all made to reflect the image of God. Each unique, each in their own unique way demonstrating the beauty of the creator. "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ…. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.  Now if the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason stop being part of the body….But in fact God has placed the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be."  1 Corinthians 12:12-18 (selected portions)  There may be parts that appear more significant, but every part down to the smallest cell is essential to the whole.   

  Also, as any part improves, it helps to improve the whole. A flower in the forest is only one small part of the overall forest and its beauty; however, when that flower displays exceptional beauty, the beauty of the entire forest grows with it. There are no insignificant roles.   Each of us can by choice grow, and that growth and exceptionalism elevates the whole. 

  Recognizing our connections to one another, my personal vision is to grow daily.   In so doing, I will improve the whole.  Secondly, I want to help others grow.   In so doing, as a whole we will grow exponentially. 

- Written by Stephen Hoefler