The Butterfly Effect

The "butterfly effect" suggests that the whir of air released by a butterfly's wings can magnify over time to release a power that can affect weather patterns thousands of miles away.  An unnoticed, seemingly insignificant action can intensify to a storm of consequence.

Amazing, isn't it?  One tiny act of kindness can spread and make a difference throughout the world!

The movie - Pay It Forward - is a good example of the impact one person can have on others.  It all started out with an idea Trevor came up with for a seventh-grade assignment.  He would pass on an act of kindness to three people, and each of them in turn would pass on a good deed to three more.  A tiny act stirred up a whirlwind of kindness.

A friend of mine bought two extra copies of Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back to share with others.  I received one copy and shared it with some neighbors whose lives were touched by it.  One neighbor bought a copy and passed it around, and some of those people are buying their own copy to share.  God works in mysterious ways.  A flap of the wings and the power releases.

Do you ever feel like you don't make an impact on the world around you?  Even if you don't hear any positive feedback, you are making a difference. Years ago in a Bible Study using THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE, a woman who washed hospital bedding wondered how what she does could ever have a purpose or be glorifying to God.  She woke me up to how much I take little things for granted.  Those same crisp, white sheets I have laid on in a hospital bed were washed by a woman who thought she wasn't making a difference in the world.  In reality, her quiet flap of wings has made a greater difference than she will ever realize.

What we do not only affects those around us today, but it may ripple on and shape the lives of those who are not yet born.  Awesome, yet scary.  How do we live our lives?  Do we make positive differences?

Let's be the butterflies of love and kindness.  If one pair of wings can intensify into a storm, imagine what we can do together.

*******

“What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.” - Mother Teresa

How has an act of kindness affected you?

What are little ways you can make a positive difference?

True Friendship

Several years ago I jotted down some quotes about friendship, and I'd like to share some of my favorites with you.  Just sit in silence for a while and soak up the depths of meaning in each one.

What is a real friend?

"A friend loves at all times..." Proverbs 17:17

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” Walter Winchell

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.” G. Randolf

How can I be a true friend?

“Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.” Albert Camus

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” Mother Teresa

 “When you love, you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.” Ernest Hemingway

Ultimate Friendship

The quote by Hemingway about sacrifice speaks volumes of what real friendship is, and I can't think of a better example than how Jesus sacrificed His life for us.

Friends on earth will always have flaws and weaknesses and sometimes will even turn their backs on us, but Jesus is a Friend Who always has and always will remain faithful and steadfast.  He knows our deepest secrets, and yet He will never betray us.  He has paid the ultimate sacrifice for us, and He will never, never, never leave us or forsake us.

"What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear..."

Do you have friendship quotes or experiences to share?

What personal experience revealed Jesus as your BEST FRIEND?

Every Life Deserves Respect

This week, as I took a plunge into paper-file overhaul and reorganization, I discovered some thoughts I wrote during the battle over the life of Terri Schiavo in 2005.

I remember her eyes.  She couldn't express her opinion, but to me her eyes cried out, "Please fight for me."  Some pictures I saw at the time indicated a sparkle of understanding, of love received and love given.  I watched those same eyes glaze over as she was forced to slowly die of starvation.

The shock of it resurrects itself in my heart and digs up memories of my time as a nurse's aide in a nursing home.

I remember Edith whose body grew rigid in a fetal position.  She couldn't do anything for herself, and she couldn't even express her needs or wants.  When she tried to speak, unintelligible sounds garbled out.  Her big, beautiful, brown eyes didn't always focus, but behind them was a woman who loved and was loved.

One day as I fed Edith her dinner, I noticed an unopened letter on her bedside table.  Who had tossed it there without reading it to her?  Can you imagine her heart dancing with excitement at the thought of someone remembering her with a letter?  Then spinning a nosedive into frustration and depression, unable to reach it or even open it? 

As I opened the letter and read it, another aide passed the doorway and looked at me like I was a crazy alien.  Too often I worry about what others think of me, but at that moment I chose to respect Edith and her precious life.  I continued to read a message from a loving daughter who couldn't be with her mom.  As I glanced up, Edith's eyes connected to my innermost soul.  Tears of gratitude spilled over onto the sides of her face.  As she tried to say something, all that would come out was, "Aawawuw...," No, I didn't understand her words, but the message behind her eyes still resonates in my heart today.

Edith, just like Terri Schiavo, was a person with feelings, hopes, and dreams.  A person who loved and was loved.  A person who had a purpose in this life no matter how disabled she was.  A person who has every right to be respected.

God has given that right to each of us.  We can read the truth of it in Psalm 8, "What is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor."   God not only cares for us, but He has crowned us with glory and honor. 

Because of this, it should never come to a battle over whether the Terri Schavios of this world should live or die.  What right do we have to mess with the life God has given?

 How can we fight for those who can't fight for themselves?