ripple effect
Jun 27th, 2007 by Nathanael
I was meditating on how our Lord calls me to die to myself, to see myself as everyone’s servant, to esteem others better than myself. And that flies in the face of my natural tendency to self-preservation and looking out for “number 1.” It may take on a variety of forms, but ultimately, I need to be willing to be viewed a certain way or to have my reputation ruined for others’ sakes and for my Lord’s glory.
Often it looks like a stone thrown into the water. Yes, our lives may sink below the surface and out of sight. But our sacrificial drowning to self creates a ripple effect on the water’s surface that spreads out in all directions, reaching more than one stone could ever reach on its own.
Just like a stone
That has been thrown,
That breaks the water’s placid surface,
Doomed to its plight,
Hidden from sight,
Sunk to the bottom, drowned of purpose.
Yet its effect
Is indirect,
The ripples reach farther that one stone could go.
Encircling out,
Around and about,
Spreading a movement beyond a stones-throw.
Just like this stone,
My life’s not my own,
As I die to self, new waves will greet the dawn,
Hidden from view,
Surrendered to you,
So the ripple effect will go on and on.