The Ripple Effect

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

~Romans 5:1-2

Each of us has, at one time or another, done something we’re not proud of. Some of us have done things that caused others harm that cannot be undone, like a stone in a pond, the ripple effects of our actions continue for years to come. Often, those events are like ghosts in our minds, reminding us of the horrible things we’ve said and done, which can be worse than what we have done. No matter what we’ve done, whether in a moment of weakness or as the result of a calculated plan, we must live with the consequences of our choices. Some consequences are immediate, and we get to move on, while others play out over time and can cost us everything we hold dear. “I didn’t mean for this to happen” may be true, but hindsight won’t help us when we’re in deep trouble. Sometimes, we only learn because of what we lose along the way, and often, what we lose can never be regained. Sometimes, those losses are so great that we also lose a piece of ourselves, sometimes, several pieces. Loss is never easy, especially in the realization there is no one to blame but ourselves.

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ  and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:7-11).”

If anyone knows about harming others, it was Paul. His sole job was to seek out Christians and kill them (Acts 9:1), and he was present when the disciple, Stephen was stoned to death for his faith (Acts 7:58). I’m sure he told himself it was just his job, he had orders, and there was nothing wrong with what he was doing. And while the Bible doesn’t specifically say that Paul felt guilty, in Romans 7:14-25, he expresses frustration over wanting to do good in his mind but failing in his actions. I think we can all identify with him. I know I’ve thought how I’m going to make a new start, be a better person, speak more kindly, control my temper, and be the person my head tells me I can be. It usually lasts a day, maybe two, before something happens, and I say something unkind, or speak in anger. There is a huge contradiction between what the spirit wants and what the flesh does.

“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.  And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus (Acts 9:1-8).”

We may not all have the same type of experience Paul did, but each of us will have our own Damascus Road moment. The moment we have to make the choice of where our future will lead, in spite of the earthly consequences. We will be faced with life in Jesus or death in this world. We will have to decide who we are, where we are going, and more importantly, who we want to be from now on. No matter where the ripples of our actions are felt at this moment, no matter what we have done in our past that hurt us and others, no matter where we are sitting right now, we have to decide who we want to be from now on. We can make the decision, like Paul, to cause a different kind of ripple in the pond. The kind that will have a positive affect on our lives and the lives of others.

^“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:8-13).”

Read Psalm 18-20

©2018 Marie McGaha