The Ripple Effect
Let me start my saying hello. I am Wendy, Doug and Ginny's daughter. I wanted to talk today to everyone who may have ever struggled a time or two in their lives. So basically, I need to talk to all of you, right!
Hey, times haven't always been easy for me either. In fact, when you choose to walk with God and do what He asks; sometimes life gets really hard and pretty uncomfortable. There are lots of very good moments, of course, but I want to share with you a time that wasn't the greatest for me. Without going into too much detail about my personal life, let's just say, There was a time that I was struggling. I was really at one of the lowest moments of my life. I knew what God had asked me to do, but things had become too hard for me and I just wanted to quit and run away. You know those times. you think everyone would be better off if you weren't around because you're struggling and you don't want to bring everyone else down with you. Misery had gotten a hold of me and I was sitting in that proverbial pity pot.
Then God sent my Mom to the rescue and as always, Mom's words of encouragement rang true. She reminded me of that movie, It's a wonderful life. She said, Just like in the movie, the things I have done in my life and the things I will do in the future have and will touch so many lives. I had to laugh when she said it. I didn't mean what I said literally. But, I did get the point. Life would change if I wasn't around to do my part. Later, as I sat quietly that evening, the Lord brought to my mind a thought about the ripples a stone makes when you drop it in a pond. It made me think the rings of the water seem to multiply as they get further and further away. One creates two, then three and carries on, seemingly forever. I reflected on the lives I have touched and all the lives of those people that have touched others lives. It made me really think. If I quit trying, I quit pushing on and I quit caring, then who would fill my shoes? No one! The ripple wouldn't even begin. Could I afford to just quit moving forward? Should I be the one to let the water go stagnant?
We all have a job to do here on earth. We all have a good work to do for the Lord. And we all have a profound affect on the lives of those we come in contact with. Without you and I....well, life would change. Life is not always going to be perfect. Things aren't always going to turn out the way we planned. But, that's ok; you CAN get through them. Just keep doing! Push forward! Do what God has called you to do.
So, drop the pebble in the pond and start that ripple.
