Ripples

Looking as walking see a pond of greenish brown surrounded by its uneven edges and a footpath lightly traveled showing dirt and grass. This pond, in its bigness, holds fish, minnows, ducks, dragonflies, water plants, and other water insects. It’s teeming with life in it, on it, and around it. It is an attraction to which many species of creation flock.

What causes this flocking? Is it the big picture, the beauty and peace of the place? Possibly. Is it the nourishment it provides? Maybe. Is it the safe haven it gives? Perhaps. It may be because of all these and so much more.

What could this more be? Well, people look at the big picture when considering the pond and its surrounds. It’s a place to go. Birds look at its big picture and see a place to rest, bathe, and feed. Bugs look at the big picture and see a place to find food, rest, and re-create. Fish have only the one picture. It is home and provides haven, food, family, recreation, and a place to re-create. For each of these species, like for humans, the pond is a place to get what is needed for life. It’s like a person’s home and family are places and people from which to gain sustenance, security, rest, and peace.

If we ponder this pond closer, what will we realize? Consider it as God’s creation interacts with it. The wind causes ripples and the sun, moon, and stars cause reflection. Each ripple of light can remind us of each light that passes through our lives. This ripple, the one that sparked bright white, is the person who cared the most for you when life was darkest. She walked with you, prayed with you, and held your hand. The next ripple, a shimmering blue, reflects the sky and the endless possibilities. It reminds you of that person who entered your life showing you the things you could do or be and where you always knew you could find home. Next, the wind blew and the light blinked so that a twinkling amethyst caught your eye. This ripple is the person who shone in your life to best reveal your strengths and greatest characteristics. She drew attention to herself and reflected onto you so others would see you and notice your worth and their need of you. Again, the wind blew and a ripple crossed the water as the moon’s beam cast upon it. This ripple, though onyx-dark, cast out it’s glimmer to remind you even dark days have brightness in them. They are not only darkness. This person comes along to show you the things you can learn and how you can grow when little light shows and much is dark. Finally, as the moon begins to ebb to its darkest point, the slight ripple of water casts out a deep purple glow. The person who reflects this ripple, this swell, is the one who shone brightest and most beautiful. This one gave you greatest hope that dawn comes after darkness, peace comes after the storm, beauty comes with the darkest colors, and dawn will break again. This ripple brings you an inhalation of expectation for the hope of the beauty of the new day, for the encounters to be made, for the provisions that will come, for safety within its brilliance and depth, and for the renewal in its savoring.

Each of these ripples is part of the whole, the lake in its entirety with actions by the Creator. None stands alone nor can be without the light and wind that beams or blows from outside of itself. This lake is like life. We can have haven, peace, food, family, recreation, and a place to re-create within it, but without that which comes from outside of itself, that is given to make it more, it is a sphere of its own. Its beauty is contained and confined within what it can make of itself. When, however, the Creator casts His hand toward the lake with light and wind, a greater magnitude of purpose and benefit comes to and from the lake. It beams forth not only contained beauty, but reflected strength, hope, acceptance, honor, peace, knowledge, beauty, and expectation.

Each of the ripples would not have been without the Master blowing upon the water. Each of the reflections could not have shown their brilliance without His light casting its gleam upon the water. The ripples, individually, represent each of us as God’s children. He uses us to shine forth His light, but He is the One who makes the ripples with His breath to bring us into the sphere of people who need to know He is in control. One time, God will use us to bring peace, another time hope, then another to share strength, etc. God’s light is the beam that glows on and from His children. His wind is what blows the water. We, His children, are the ripples who affect the lives of others like the ripples affect the lake. None of us are or can be the source of the light or of the wind. We do not cause the ripples that bring strength, hope, acceptance, honor, peace, knowledge, beauty, and expectation that is lasting. Only God can give those lasting gifts and, when He causes the ripples, we are the result and the gifts are lasting.

Without the Master’s hand, the lake and its surroundings are beautiful and peaceful. They provide nourishment, safety, home, recreation, re-creation, and family. With the Master’s hand, the lake provides more than these. It reflects the lasting gifts only God can give, and He uses His children to do this. We are the ripples God creates and uses to reflect His love, strength, hope, acceptance, honor, peace, knowledge, beauty, and expectation to the people to whom He sends us or by whom we are surrounded.

Do you accept this duty? Will you obey God and let Him use you to provide these God-gifts to other people?

Today you might be the sparkling white, the shimmering blue, twinkling amethyst, glimmering onyx, or glowing purple. I can remember the person who was the glimmering onyx from God for me. This person led me to Christ. I can remember the person who sparkled bright and walked with me praying for me as I traveled a hard place in life. This person reminded me God had not left me alone. I remember the person who twinkled like amethyst. She showed me my good qualities and the strengths I had to contribute to this world.

We can only reflect God’s lasting gifts to people when we are His children and He uses us for His purposes. Have you accepted God’s gift of eternal life through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus? Will you let Him use you to reflect His love to people who need more than life, food, home, family, beauty, and recreation? God’s wind is blowing and His light is gleaming. Will His wind blow and make you a ripple to reflect His lasting gifts to other people?