You just never know the impact of your words, your actions, your deeds. When you live a life of faith, when you live a life of yes, what is the ripple effect?
Think about a few phrases that changed the course of modern history
- “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong
- “I have a dream,” — Martin Luther King.
- “Tear these walls down,” Ronald Reagan.
- “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. “ – J F Kennedy.
And from the Bible, when Moses said, “Let my people go.”
Later, Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom, and all these things will be added to.”
And American history…
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable Rights; that among these, are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”– Thomas Jefferson,
Words. Actions. Deeds. Look at these rocks, thrown in the pond of humanity. Look at the influence. Look at the change they brought.
I have just one rock. Can I make a difference?
Dreaming Like a Bird
Let me tell you a short story about a man named Milt
He was a pastor by trade, but he spent his early morning hours watching warblers, spotting starlings, and tracking terns.
He had a fascination with birds. He studied them with intense fascination. He built a huge library on the subject and his two sons thought him a little — off. But like most kids, they kind of let the old man do his thing.
In the summer of 1889, his 25-year old son contracted a fever. It turned into delirium and he almost died. He would recover, but it would take many long weeks of restoration to his health.
His brother Will sat with him through the recovery, eventually moving from the hospital back home. To pass the time, the two settled into their father’s expansive study with the big windows.
They began pulling those bird books s off the shelves and settled on one in particular — “A Treatise on Terrestia and Aerial Locomotion.”
It was a book about the body, bone and feather structure of birds and how they are outfitted for flight. They took the book to another step – beyond birds. They began to dream about what it would take for a man to fly
After his recovery – Orville began to nudge his brother into putting their dreams to flight. The man who almost died of fever began to soar in his thinking.
He even wrote the Smithsonian Institute, asking for their help to “convince the world to repent of its lack of belief in flight.”
It was Bishop Milton Wright’s interest in birds that turned into a passion. That passion sparked his sons’ dreams and obsession. The Wright Brothers changed the world forever with their flying machines.
You might not launch men into flight.
You might not be the one with your heads in the clouds.
But your keen interest might just help inspire someone else.
You never know your circle of influence. You might just change the world.
“The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who do.” John McAfee
You Bring the Light
When God Flipped the switch in a darkened universe, it brought brilliant illumination. And here we are, light years later, one-by-one the orbs are still igniting, one galaxy after another, like a house with rooms that knows no end.
That’s what happens when we bring light. We illuminate darkened minds. We help push away misunderstanding and sadness and confusion and we change the world.
The ripple effects of Living a Life of Yes may never be known fully. Generations, even light years away, and lights will be turning on long after you have gone.
You just never know where things will lead. You never know where an interest will lead. You never know what a passion will inspire. You never know who else you motivate.
You just never know the ripple effect when you say one word…yes.
I invite you to listen to the Living a Life of Yes Podcast. In just five minutes, we’ll talk about people who have used the Ripple Effect to change the world. And maybe you will too.
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