The Effect…

Quote:

“The idea that everything is purposeful really changes the

way you live.  To think that everything that you do has a

ripple effect, that every word that you speak, every action

that you make affects other people and the planet.”

~Victoria Moran

Scripture:

And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched.  And since they had no root, they withered away.  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.  Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

~Matthew 13:4-8

Perspective:

Cause and Effect-when something happens that makes something else happen.

• The Ripple Effect-a certain event can make an impact and grow in influence as it gets further from the source.
• The Butterfly Effect-any small change that takes place affects things around it, which in turn affects things around them, eventually resulting in a changed world.
• The Domino Effect-a chain reaction; things happening in succession, that once the first thing falls things just keep going faster and bigger.
• The Snowball Effect-a process that starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon itself; it can be disastrous or beneficial.

Can you think of anything you do each day that does not affect someone, something, or some event going forward? 

What happens to your day and those you interact with if you oversleep?  What about if you wake-up and spend the first 15 minutes with Jesus?  Or if you forget about Him all together?  What about if you skip breakfast or grab something quick and unhealthy as you run out the door?  Does your day feel different if you get exercise, or not?  What about if you make or miss a deadline?  How about if you bring a healthy lunch or forget lunch completely?  If your boss is having a bad day (maybe you are the boss having a bad day)?  What about if you ignore the feelings or wise words of a loved one?  Or the red flags all around you?  What about if you choose to let things slide or ignore an elephant in the room over and over again?  Our day is filled with choices, and no matter how insignificant they feel in the moment, such as pressing snooze, each choice affects other things, people, and events and each one has its own set of consequences with different choices that then present themselves after that consequence plays out.  A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1).

The bottom line is, each and every choice you make is important to your future and to the future of others as well, even those you have never met; what you do and say matters!  So, if each choice, each action, each word inevitably does affect other parts of and people in your life, and even ripples out from there, how you choose to live each day seems to gain greater importance.  Do you have a plan, and more importantly do you follow it, or do you live each moment as it comes, simply doing what you feel like doing in that moment?  How are you handling the power that comes with your choices, your actions, and your words?  We truly have a great deal of responsibility with that power, our choices shape our destiny and influence the destiny of others.  The sum of our choices makes up the life we live; if you do not think so, follow your circumstances backwards.  I tell you, on the day of judgement people will give account for every careless word they speak (Matthew 12:36).

Unfortunately, we cannot change what we have chosen, done or said in the past, not even what we have chosen, done, or said through indecision.  And we cannot change the consequences that accompanied those choices, or lack of choices.  However, from this moment on, we can intentionally shape our future with whatever choices we make going forward, from the moment our eyes open in the morning until the moment they close each night.  If you can conceive it, you can achieve it, it all starts with your thinking…but the actions must follow; nothing is attained through good intentions!  The choices you make today are creating your tomorrow; based on that, what will your future look like?  What changes do you need to make today to create the tomorrow you actually desire?  But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

Too often we take our freedom to choose for granted, we are so use to making the same choices day after day that we do not stop to realize the power each has or that they are even our choices at all.  Although we are not in control, we do have power over our choices, and we have influence in other’s lives and even in the world; what we do ripples out far beyond where we stand.  This power can feel overwhelming at times, but pause and take a breath when it does, you only need to take one step in the moment you are in; work to keep your focus on what you can do right now.  Living one moment, one choice, one day at a time feels much more manageable than focusing on all you must choose and do to achieve your goals.  Our capacity to only live in this moment, in today, should give us a hint about how God wants us to live.  Even the Lord’s prayer, from the mouth of Jesus, says, give us this day our daily bread, not our bread for the week or for the future.  God wants us to begin each day with faith in and dependent on Him.  If you make a mistake, there may be consequences, but you can and should learn from them and then choose differently going forward.  Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap (Galatians 6:7).

It is not just what we do today that creates real change in our life, rather it is your consistency day after day!  Really look at your routine; are you setting yourself up for success with your current routine?  YOU are worth the good choices you CAN make!  You only have this moment, today.  So, be honest with yourself and learn from what you have done erroneously in the past, what has not worked to create the best version of you and your best life, and use it in the present moment to create the You and the life you desire in the future.  Get excited about your future and then take the necessary actions to create it!  If you struggle with this step, I have been there, where everything just feels hopeless.  Start with a prayer (the best place to start).  Pray for God to spark a desire in and motivate you to do what you shouldbe doing but are not, to give you renewed hope for your future, but also to convict you, to help you see clearly what you are doing that you should not be.  The apostle Paul said, “For I do not understand my own actions.  For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.  So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.  For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out,” as he struggled to do what he knew he should but was not (Romans 7:15-18).  

Life Applications:

>What do you desire your day, week, month, year, and future to look like?  What are you choosing to DO to achieve your dreams, or not?  It is never too late to turn your dreams into goals and achieve them!

>> Contemplate your morning routine, your day, and your evening routine.  What are you doing but should be doing more of?  What about what you need to stop doing and replace with new, more productive behaviors?  If you do not honestly contemplate this, how can you make changes? 

Check out this link for some great healthful ideas: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/65-habits-that-can-help-you-live-a-longer-life/ss-BB184E5l?li=BBnb7Kz   

>>>What are you choosing to do and say in your daily life to be a light in the world, to show God’s love to others, starting right in your own home?  The reality is, we make time for what we want to!  So, just remember that if you are tempted to say you are “too busy” to let God’s love shine through you into the world, to be a light, for it is telling your Creator you have no time to do what He created you for.