To Make The World A Better Place
by Rev. Robert J. Hermley

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I remember reading somewhere in my study of Latin literature that a ruler once said, "I found Rome marble; I left it bronze."  I must admit that I cannot remember who said it, and I cannot vouch that the quote is exactly as the king said it, but the idea is the same, and it  made such an impression upon me, that I can never forget the truth it conveyed to me as a young seminarian.  By it, the author simply meant that he found the city of Rome already beautiful and built of marble, but that he made it a better place and changed its beauty even more adding to its elegance by making it bronze.

Every human being created by the hand of God is placed upon this earth for a purpose.  Each one of us has a specific job to do for God.  We can fulfill that purpose of making the world a better place, or we can frustrate God's plan and live a selfish life only for ourselves.  It is all up to us.  We can hurt people by our selfishness, or we can make the world a little nicer place by a kind word, a smile, or by lending a helping hand.

If we refuse to do the specific job God planned for us, God will find someone else to do that work, but it will not be the same as we ourselves would have done, and we would have missed an excellent opportunity to make the world just a little nicer.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if after we died all our friends could say of us, "He/she made the world a little nicer place to live, I felt just a bit happier for having met him/her."  Each one of us should be able to say to God one day, "I found the world a nice place, but I made it just a little better."