Ripples

Happy New Year!

As you step into 2012, REMEMBER: You have the power to change the world!

A good friend of mine recently had an “It’s a Wonderful Life” experience. I got the call on a Monday that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the insidious killer that recently took the life of Steve Jobs. Two days later, the diagnosis was confirmed and surgery was set for the following Tuesday. In a miracle of God’s grace, it turned out to be such a low grade of cancer that he won’t even need chemo. The doctor said it was a 1 in 100 chance (I think that’s code for “impossible” or “I can’t explain it”).

Throughout that week and leading up to surgery, there was a tremendous outpouring of love. As you might expect, family and friends articulated feelings that were confirming and comforting. But it went beyond the expected. Some people expressed depths of feeling that were surprising and moving. Others revealed details of specific events, long forgotten by most, that had become life altering experiences. And some of the outpouring came from totally unexpected sources. It was a near “death-sentence experience” that gave him the opportunity to understand more fully the impact his life has had on the world.

I was one of the ones that expressed love and gratitude. In the 8 years we have known each other, he has made me better a better man, a better leader, a better Christ-follower.

That same week, I received an email and a phone call from two different people that thanked me for my influence on their lives. And that’s when I realized his impact went beyond, even through, me. It was clear that these two people had benefitted not simply from me, but from all the people who have touched my life in a positive way. My friend’s impact and influence didn’t end with the people he initially touched. We go through life largely unaware of the real impact we have on the lives of others. Even when we are conscious of some level of initial impression, we rarely understand the full spectrum of influence. But our impact – for better or for worse – expands exponentially because the impact ripples far beyond the people we know.

I can make some predictions for you with all the confidence in the world they will come true in 2012. You will feel joy and sorrow – and some of us tragedy. You will know grace and injustice. You will experience pleasure and pain. You will know triumph and trials. And most of those will happen regardless of what you do. I encourage you in the midst of all that happens that you focus on what you can do. And I pray that you know the presence, power and peace of God at a deeper level than you have ever been before.

Change the world through the people you touch – directly and indirectly - through the infinite ripples of your attitudes and actions.

“The ripples create more than we could ever imagine
Or dare to dream, of things that are seen and unseen.
It gives hope to the ones in despair
And with that, they continue to share.” 1


1 From “just a drop” by Louis Rams http://hellopoetry.com/poem/just-a-drop/