The Ripple Effect

I’m thinking about a time in 2010 when I took one of my graduate classes on a field trip to Lake Casa Blanca in Laredo.

Ten of us stood along the rocky shore, quietly admiring the calm surface of the lake. We spoke about it as a metaphor for our psychological state. At times, the lake is calm… and at other times, the wind rises and whitecaps form across the surface.

But that afternoon, it was perfectly still.

Like a sheet of glass.

The stratus clouds above reflected clearly on the water below.

Each of us picked up a stone, and one by one, we tossed them into the lake. Each stone created concentric ripples—waves of energy spreading outward—eventually intersecting with the ripples created by others.

What began as stillness was transformed.

The lesson was simple: our actions create ripple effects—individually and together.

Today, many years later, I see how God uses water as a reminder.

The river near me can reflect His peace… or His power. Today, it is calm.

So I pick up a stone and toss it in.

And I watch.

The ripples move outward, touching places I cannot reach.

And I’m reminded…

Every moment, every breath, every step, every heartbeat is an opportunity to create a ripple for God’s honor and glory.

Every smile.
Every door held open.
Every helping hand—large or small.
Every prayer.

Each one becomes a ripple He can carry farther than I can see.

The ripple effect is nothing new.

God spoke all things into existence—setting creation itself into motion.

And now, in His grace, He allows us to participate.

To add a few God-inspired ripples of our own.

So the question remains…

What will your ripple effects look like today?

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“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)