Pastor’s Corner: Small Things Make a Difference

It doesn’t take much to do it. I barely have to remember what day it is – my phone reminds me. All I have to do is put on the right shirt, take a picture, and share it out via social media. And that’s all there is to #ThursdaysInBlack.

I’ve written and spoken about this before: It’s an effort to raise awareness of sexual and gender-based violence with the aim of preventing it. It’s hard to make it simpler: Wear black. Say why. That’s it.

So I’ve caught myself wondering, more than once, if it makes any difference at all.

Violence, after all, is an enormous issue and a global problem. Gender-based violence is as close as (perhaps) the next house, and includes the victims of human trafficking. Rape wounds the whole person, and wounds far too many persons around the world. So what difference does it make that I wear black once a week? It’s too small a thing.

At the ‘Aha Pae’aina in June, however, a colleague stepped up to me as the meeting closed. We’re still new friends to each other, and we each told the other how sorry we’d been not to have time to talk.

And then she paused, and said, “Thank you.” She paused again, and said, “Thank you for wearing black every Thursday.” She stopped again and continued, “It means so much.”

Well.

It is a small thing in this enormous world, no doubt. To at least one, it is not a small thing at all. And that, for me, is enough. You’ll find me in black next Thursday for sure.

I’m sure there are small things you do – from time to time, once a week, every day? – that mean the world to somebody. I’m sure there are small things you do that seem pretty unimportant to you, but say, “Aloha au iā ‘oe,” to someone else. I’m sure there are small things you do that are wonderful enough to someone to restore their faith in the world.

All I have to say is: Keep it up, friends. Keep it up. Let the world be blessed in us!

Blessings,

Pastor Eric

The picture is, as you might expect, one of my #ThursdaysInBlack photos. It was taken just below the summit of Haleakala a day before this June’s ‘Aha Pae’aina.