How An Act So Small Can Make a Big Difference

There was a great warrior who was known in the land of Syria. He was a man of valor, fearless and the commander of the army of the great King of Syria. He was an outstanding general but people avoided him because he had a rare disease; he was a leper.

No one wanted to avoid him; in fact they respected the great warrior but the disease was the barrier. Everyone knew how much effort the warrior had taken to find the solution to this disease. He had gone far and wide seeking for solution but nothing. He even consulted experts and specialists in rare disease but known of them could solve his problem.

So he had accepted his faith. He would be unhappy for the rest of his life bearing this curse. The only people who noticed him happy were his soldiers and that was on the battlefield. This became a routine in his life.

One day he received a young girl from the land of Israel who would become his slave. At first, this servant girl was uncomfortable; being forced from her country to a foreign land with strange customs, separated from her parents whom she would never see again and now living with a leper whom her culture forbade her to stay with, was making her almost crazy. However she soon learned the custom of the Syrians and was fond of her master.

While doing her duties, an idea formed in her mind. Why not suggest to her master to go to her native land and meet the Prophet; surely he would be healed. She thought to herself. She had known the Prophet in her homeland and the mighty works that he had done. The prophet was known to everyone as an anointed man of God. She had seen people with diseases, problems and those in distress go to the Prophet and none had ever come back to report the same issue. If her master could meet him, he would be healed.

There was just one problem. Would the master agree to go on the journey. Would he believe her that the Prophet would heal him as he did not believe in miracles. She pondered and then she shivered, she thought about the risk that she was putting herself and the punishment that would occur if anything went wrong but then she summoned courage and then decided to tell the master’s wife who with keen interest revealed the idea to her husband.

When the warrior heard of the possibility of being healed by meeting a magician, he surprised everyone. Rather than argue, he went to the king and informed him of his journey who gave his consent and supported him by informing the king of Israel about his mission.

The warrior then set out to Israel and met the Prophet. He grudgingly followed the prescription and instruction that was given to him by the prophet but with his very own eyes, he saw his fresh skin. He had been healed. What great joy in Syria. Their warrior was finally healed.

Now Your Turn: Lessons

Who is the hero in this story? It is natural and seems logical for the hero of the story to be the Prophet. After all, he healed the warrior. This is the way majority of people reason when it comes to making a difference. It assumed that you have to possess power, title and a position before you can make a significant change.

This story however focuses on a small act and a brave girl who decided to make a difference by providing information that would lead to her master’s cure.

Small acts can make a big difference.

How an Act so Small Can Make a Big Difference
FMSC, CC-BY 2.0 via Flickr


Names of Character

The Warrior-          Naaman

The Prophet-         Prophet Elisha

The Servant Girl-   Never told us her name

Script-                      The Bible



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