The Ripple of Your Choices
Well, mercy me, friend, you just wandered right on up on this here ol’ front porch like a mighty cool breeze on a warm Texas mornin’, and I’m mighty glad to see you today. Sit yourself down for a lil’ ol’ spell. I’ve been thinkin’ about Jonah, that runaway prophet who tried to dodge God’s call the way a jittery lil’ ol’ rabbit dodges a huntin’ hound dog. When the storm hit, the sailors demanded answers in Jonah 1:28, “Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from?” They knew somebody’s choices had stirred up that mess.
Jonah’s story reminds us that our lives ripple outward. What we do plum affects others, the way one stubborn goat can stir up the whole barnyard. Jesus warned His disciples in Matthew 16:11-12, “How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Jesus wasn’t talkin’ about bread. He was plum talkin’ about influence. A little wrong teaching can spread faster than a lil’ ol’ raccoon sniffin’ around an open trash can.
Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” Friend, that there means influence ain’t never neutral. It’s either liftin’ folks up or pullin’ ‘em down. Jonah’s disobedience endangered everyone on that boat. Our obedience can downright bless everyone around us.
John Donne once wrote that “no person is an island.” Scripture actually said it first. We’re plum called to be salt and light, not storm makers. Our words, attitudes, and choices sho’-nuff’ shape the people around us, even when we don’t realize it. Ask God to help you steward your influence well. Let your presence calm storms, not create them.
Father, thank You for remindin’ us that our influence matters. Help us walk wisely, speak kindly, and live in a way that points others toward You. Make us salt, make us light, and make our lives a blessing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Well, alright then, friend, before you mosey off this porch, let this truth settle in your heart like a gentle hush driftin’ across a quiet meadow at dusk. Influence is a mighty thing, and it plum moves through a life the way a creek moves through a forest, shapin’ everything it touches. You’ve gotta be lettin’ your words be steady like a brightly glowin’ lantern hung high on a barn post, givin’ light to anyone passin’ by. And you gotta be lettin’ your choices git to risin’ with purpose, the way a strong oak tree plum rises up from the soil, standin’ real tall for generations that come after you. Now step forward with a calm confidence, knowin’ the Lord delights in guidin’ every single footprint you leave behind.
With joy,
Gwen
