Making a ripple...

Friday night, we were so blessed to get to attend the Rock and Worship Road show at the American Airlines Center. It was an amazing night of Christian music that I really hoped would never end! It was completely overwhelming to be in that arena with 18,000 other people, singing and worshiping together! The bands varied from those who play the praise and worship music I listen to every day and sing at church, to hard rock bands, to rappers. But, all of it was phenomenal! And even as good as all the bands were, I think my favorite part, and definitely the most moving part, was when all 18,000 voices from the crowd joined together to sing "Amazing Grace." No background music, no musicians with microphones, no instruments...just voices. Talk about powerful!

Being in that arena and listening to the performers each share their stories made me think about how blessed they all are to have such a huge audience for their ministry. They get to make their living by traveling all over the country singing and sharing the good news of God and Jesus with tens of thousands of people. It reminded me of the analogy of throwing a pebble into the water. The initial splash is only the beginning. Ripples start moving out from that spot. They continue moving outward, and can end up turning into huge waves under the right circumstances. The people who were in that arena all left on such a high! Thousands of ripples started that night and will continue on for a long time to come!

That got me thinking about my little corner of the world. Now, I will never get paid to stand on a stage and sing...trust me on that one! (My car would totally agree! That's really the only place I actually sing where anyone else would even be able to hear me!!) I may never be able to an impact like the members of those bands do. But, I can make ripples in my own way. Although I can't sing well, I have discovered that I can write! And, I am trying my best to use that gift to share my experiences with God's love in a way that will, hopefully, start some ripples of my own. I can only pray that God uses me to touch someone's life in a way that would have been missed otherwise. Everytime I write, I pray first about what I need to say and how I need to say it. But, I think there's way more to it than just posting a blog entry once a week...

The more I think about it, the more I realize that all of us have opportunities to be pebbles all day long. I think the most important place to do that is with your kids. Lately, I have made a huge effort to talk much more openly with my kids about my relationship with Christ than I ever have before. (And, if that is something you aren't used to doing, it can be really uncomfortable at first!) We also have the chance to start making ripples at work, with friends, on Facebook, and even at church. As a teacher, a huge part of my day is spent searching for every teachable moment. Well, as a Christian, I have started looking for every reachable moment! They are everywhere! If you really take the time to look for them, you'll be amazed at what you see! And, the best part is...the more I share and the more I reach out to others through God, the more blessed and happy I feel myself!

We may not all have the same gifts, but we all do have gifts! And, we can all use the gifts God gave us to make a difference...no matter how big or small!

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms.  ~1 Peter 4:10