Ripples

Do you believe that every action has a reaction? Do you believe every choice, every decision, has a consequence? I do... I do... And that is the mere sum of life - reactions and consequences.  The funny thing is, we aren't just affected by our own actions. Like a ripple in a lake, we are touched by the choices of others.

The home I live in and the car I drive, the job that I have and the clothes I wear, the church I attend and the hobbies I have, the values that I hold dear and the family that I'm blessed with - these things are all the results of the path that I have walked and the ripples caused by others.

Remembering this simple little concept, and applying it, would greatly sway decisions made in our lives.  It is one thing to think that my choice will affect me, but it is quite another to know that my choices will affect those I love, or just like, or barely even know.

Another consideration is that the ripples that we cause are immeasurable. There are ripples that are really more like tidal waves, knocking people off of their feet and drastically changing the landscape of lives forever. Forever. And some ripples are like the waves at the beach, crashing and throwing one into another causing people to topple on top of one another. But then there are those ripples that seem to only disturb their immediate environment, but after closer inspection teeny tiny disturbances cannot be seen but can be felt.