Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Ripple Effect

Remember when you were a little kid and you'd throw rocks in the water and watch the ripples spread wider and wider until they disappeared? I do. I remember skipping stones on the water, pitching rocks as far out as I could, and watching the ripples glide across the shimmering surface of the pond or lake.

Even when we think they don't, every action in our lives has a ripple effect on someone in some way. The good we do touches those around us, often in ways that we can't imagine or perhaps don't even recognize. I've heard story after story of people whose lives were drastically changed by the love and kindness of another person. By the same token, the less desirable ... dare I say it? ... cruel or unlovely actions in our lives affect others as well, and many times have long-lasting and far-reaching effects that we may never know.

Today I decided that I'd like to be the stone that God tosses into the water ... flying through the air ... splashing into the coolness of the lake ... landing in the soft sand underneath ... watching to see where He directs the ripples of my life to go. I'd like for Him to pick me up out of the dirt, lift me from the rocks, and hold me in His hand ... smooth away the rough edges, clean off the mud and mire, launch me out to make some ripples for Him.

Yep, I'd really like to be that stone.




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