God’s Ripple in the Pond
Recently a dear church friend of mine joined the Church Triumphant. When she was with us she was a special ripple in God’s pond. She always impacted people’s lives by blessing their life with her tender tear drops of God’s loving spirit. Those tear drops would turn into ripples that would not only bless you, but everything and everyone your life touched after those ripples began.
Please bear with me as I will use myself as an example to explain what I mean. I was a fellow church member attending church services, learning about God’s purpose, but leaving each week needing a personal purpose of my own. I knew there was more I could/should be doing.
One day this friend said, I don’t know how you began attending this church. Would you be willing to share your story with me? After hearing my story she asked me if I would be willing to share my story with the youth in our church community. I was terrified, but agreed to share it with our youth, but wondered what if I went in front of these children and said the wrong thing? It would be a great story if I said God shined a light down on me with purpose and the angels began singing, but that was not the case.
Even so, she encouraged me, showing me that God needs many tears to cause other ripples. (I remember her telling me something to the effect of when we hold back tears, it hurts more than helps. You seem to want to be helpful she said.) So I did my talk, and that talk turned into me eventually teaching a Sunday school class, which turned into helping out with the Christmas program, which turned into helping out with our Oratorical Festival, which turned into helping out with the Good Friday Retreat, which turned into helping with that church monthly bulletin. When I thank God for the lessons I’ve learned through her blessing me, I have to go back to the ripple that helped start it all…caused by her tender tear drops of God’s loving spirit.
I know I am not the only one whose life she touched in this way. I will miss her greatly but in honoring her, I must keep this ripple going...and so must you…even if you didn’t know her personally.
She always felt that there is always better that needs to be done. Sadly for all who knew her, it requires more time…more time than she was granted to give. Through us though, we can be a tear in God’s pond that begins that never ending ripple to spread His word. I know I will.
You’ve touched more lives than you will ever know. You are missed by all who knew and loved you. We will continue to follow through on the ripples your “God tears” started. In time, those you have left behind will learn to accept that God is always on time. Thank you for blessing me and all of us with your presence. Enjoy your heavenly eternal reward as you were a good and faithful servant when your presence was present with us. You are already missed beyond measure. Dear, beautiful soul, Linda, memory eternal!
Jaison Duell Wilson