Ripples

 I recall as a child walking to a pond on my grandparent's property. I learned to skip rocks on that pond. I also first learned about ripples by throwing big rocks into the still water. I loved watching the splash and the small waves that went out from that splash. 

As I write this, it is a frigid 14 degrees outside. Earlier this morning temperatures dipped all the way down to 4 degrees. I am not standing by a lake or pond today. Truth is I do not even have water on my mind. I am thinking about a different ripple. The kind of ripple people have influencing other people. I see ripples as the impact our lives have on others. The scope and scale of that impact largely depends on the splash we make as we live.  

Christians are called to make splashes with our lives sending ripples in all directions. We do that through our prayer efforts. We also do it with our gospel witness. The ripples of those faith conversations spread. I talked to several people last week about the power of Jesus to transform lives. I don't know where those conversations will ultimately lead. I only know that God can make the little splash of our lives send ripples further than we could have anticipated. 

Nobody left a bigger splash that Jesus. The ripples of His splash are still spreading around the world. His life left more than a splash resulting in a few ripples. His impact is more like the earth shifting deep beneath the ocean resulting in a tsunami. Many have been caught in those waves  and made much smaller splashes in efforts to make Jesus famous. People have given their lives to make ripples for Jesus and impact those contemporaries they lived among. Some of the ripples continue to this day through stories, legends, books and videos long after their lives ended. 

What kind of ripples are we leaving? Have our lives much of a splash? Admittedly, some people leave bigger splashes than others. The size of the splash of your life is not the point. The fact that you do splash in impacting those around you is the bigger issue. If your splash is limited to your immediate family, then send ripples to them. If God enlarges your territory and gives you a bigger splash, trust Him to send the ripples further than you can imagine. 

May we live to leave big splashes and several ripples. Not so others will brag on us. So that they will talk about the difference Jesus made in us and how He used us to send ripples to help others. Living with that goal will please and honor our King. So go ahead. Jump as high as you can, tuck your knees and splash for all you are worth. Watch what God does next.