Are you familiar with the ripple effect? It’s what happens when you toss a rock into a pond. The rock strikes the surface of the water generating a series of tiny waves or ripples that move outward from the point of impact. BUT not only does the rock cause ripples, but then there’s also the drops of water that splash from the impact that ALSO cause ripples to flow across the waters. One causing the other. The other effecting another. And so on and so forth.
The once calm waters disrupted. Chaos. Moving to and fro. Everything is affected. Reflections distorted. Then, if all is left alone, the ripples disappear. The calm returns. Chaos shifts to order. There’s stillness. Reflections restored.
I think this describes so many of us as Christ followers, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, family, workers… We make a decision, we make a mistake, it affects everyone around us, people are hurt, something gets lost, whatever, SOMETHING happens and we SEE the ripple effect.
We freeze.
Gripped by fear.
Afraid we’ll hurt someone else, afraid we’ll just mess up again, we choose to NOT choose, we decide to make NO decisions, NO action is the best action. We believe if we simply do nothing the chaos will transform into order, the calm will return. We pull away. We hide. We leave everything and everyone. We leave it all alone.
Here’s the deal. People are going to make mistakes. You’re going to make mistakes. People are going to hurt you. You’re going to hurt others. No one is perfect. Instead of doing NOTHING, learn from your mistakes and determine to do BETTER, to IMPROVE.
Don’t sit on the side and WATCH the waters.
Jump in.
Make some ripples.
Touch lives.
Change the world.
Love Jesus.
Love people.
The once calm waters disrupted. Chaos. Moving to and fro. Everything is affected. Reflections distorted. Then, if all is left alone, the ripples disappear. The calm returns. Chaos shifts to order. There’s stillness. Reflections restored.
I think this describes so many of us as Christ followers, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, family, workers… We make a decision, we make a mistake, it affects everyone around us, people are hurt, something gets lost, whatever, SOMETHING happens and we SEE the ripple effect.
We freeze.
Gripped by fear.
Afraid we’ll hurt someone else, afraid we’ll just mess up again, we choose to NOT choose, we decide to make NO decisions, NO action is the best action. We believe if we simply do nothing the chaos will transform into order, the calm will return. We pull away. We hide. We leave everything and everyone. We leave it all alone.
Here’s the deal. People are going to make mistakes. You’re going to make mistakes. People are going to hurt you. You’re going to hurt others. No one is perfect. Instead of doing NOTHING, learn from your mistakes and determine to do BETTER, to IMPROVE.
Don’t sit on the side and WATCH the waters.
Jump in.
Make some ripples.
Touch lives.
Change the world.
Love Jesus.
Love people.
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