If I had a Million Dollars...

“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
- Matthew 17:20

  

Over the past few days virtually everyone has had Mega Millions on the mind. You couldn't turn on the television, listen to the radio, or even glance at the Internet without seeing or hearing about the $640 million dollar jackpot. One of my Facebook friends even compared Mega Millions to the Golden Ticket in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.

I must say it's true. It's something everyone dreams about. "It could be me. I could be the winner." Even though I don't play the lottery, I did get swept up in the Mega Millions mindset today. While cuddling next to my husband for an afternoon nap, my mind drifted and settled upon the question "What on earth would we do with $640 million dollars?"

Most people say that they would at least donate some of their lottery winnings to their church or a deserving charity. Everyone wants to give back and do something good when they have an abundance of money or good fortune, but that got me thinking... what happens if you never win the lottery of your dreams?

The philosopher Edmund Burke once said “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”  He is the same man who said, "All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Clearly, Edmund Burke was not a fan of laziness. He wanted action! Jesus wants the same thing for us today. Jesus said even if our faith is as small as a mustard seed we can move mountains! We don't need large sums of money to do God's will. It's often the simple random acts of kindness that make the biggest difference.

Each day we need to be doing what we can with what we have... no matter how little that may be. It may be a kind word to a friend or stranger, cleaning up a local park with your friends, giving a homeless person a meal, or tithing what you can on Sunday morning. The point is, we don't need great amounts of wealth, fame, or power to do great things. We just need faith and the will to do it.

- Nicole