Many of us have had an experience like this. You get a solicitation in the mail to what seems to you to be a worthy cause. You send a few bucks. Suddenly you are inundated by dozens, hundreds of letters seeking support. You simply can’t give to them all. We have to choose who to respond to since we can’t do everything but we can do something. That human reality even applied to Jesus. When he was petitioned by the Canaanite woman he answered: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” It was not possible for him to personally deal with all the troubles in the world so he decided to focus on what he could humanly achieve. Her patience and persistance opened him up to a broader understanding of his mission. For us, while we do what we can we must be humble about what little old me can possible do. At the same time we must be open to the new thing that God sends our way which stretches our circle of care.
