Ripples

I stayed home from work today with a tummy bug and was able to finish "Organic Church" by Neil Cole. What an amazing read! It was worth being sick just to get to immerse myself in his writings.

One of the concepts I found most intriguing was Cole's comment: "Every person we meet is a door into a new world." We can never fully grasp the ripple effects of our actions.

For example, I got saved at the tender age of 17 at a small, legalistic church in west Texas. To my knowledge, no one else came to Christ during the two years I attended that church and the pastor was fired shortly after I left for Bible College. The church wasn't growing enough to suit whoever held the purse strings.

But Pastor Frisbee's clear (if boring) exposition of the gospel impacted me . . . and my life, in turn, has hopefuly impacted many others. I got to thinking about it today, and Greg and I have served in about 10 different churches since we married. While I'm not a great evangelist, I know I introduced a few people to Christ during each ministry--and I'm pretty sure they went on to influence others around them. That's a lot of ripples . . .

And then there's my children. I've hardly left the country, but all of my three girls have traveled to foreign lands just to tell people about Jesus. Who knows how many seeds were planted as they traipsed across the planet? As I write this, Candyce is preaching the gospel to large groups of people on a daily basis--and I know people are being saved. And they will share the truth of Jesus with others whom even Candyce cannot reach.

I'm sure Pastor Frisbee had no clue the impact his one sermon has had on this planet. Just like none of us will ever know (until we get to heaven) how our lives affect others. And that fact helps me be more present and more aware of God's heart toward the person He's put in my path at the moment--be it the harried grocery clerk, distracted dental hygenist, grumpy co-worker--and even my dear husband.

Pastor Frisbee, I learned recently, has gone to be with the Lord. I can't wait to catch up with him in the Promised Land and tell him what an impact he had on me. And I'll bet the chorus of "Well dones!" offerd by all those he touched through the ripple effect will rival the very choir of heaven!