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| These tire tracks in the snow bear a similarity to the ripples radiating outward, created by a pebble thrown into a pond. |
I’ve never been in an air traffic control tower, but have
seen videos of how radar is used for tracking incoming airplanes. A line sweeps
around the screen and blips briefly illuminate to reveal the presence of
aircraft in the vicinity. These blips quickly disappear, usually to reappear
with the next sweep of the radar screen.
Contrast that with pebbles thrown into a pond. After
striking the pond surface, the pebbles disappear below the surface, but in
their wake a series of ripples radiate from point of impact. Before it
disappears, the pebble’s presence is “memorialized” as the ripples spread
outward.
The latter, I believe, can represent the impact of our
lives. Viewed within the context of many thousands of years of human existence
– not to mention the scope of eternity – a single life may seem nothing more
than a pebble falling into a pond, never to be seen again. But the ripples it causes
show the impact of that life, one that could continue indefinitely.
Recently I wrote about my longtime friend Dave Stoddard, a
larger-than-life individual whose time on earth ended unexpectedly at the age
of 60. He spent much of his life investing in the lives of others – mentoring,
coaching, teaching, encouraging, challenging, and sometimes chastising, all aimed
at helping them to develop personally and professionally to reach their fullest
potential. While Dave’s life might have appeared to some as a “blip” on a
chronological radar screen, all who knew him realize his life was like the
ripple that continues to radiate wider and wider.
At the visitation time and memorial service, several hundred
men and women gathered to celebrate Dave’s life, share stories about him, and
convey how he had touched their own lives. Many of them expressed their desire
to have a similar impact on other people.
When Dave founded Leaders Legacy in 2000, he incorporated an
image of ripples into the logo. This seems all the more appropriate today. He
and I often talked about a leader’s true impact not being what happens while he
or she is on the scene, but what happens after they leave. Will the leader’s
impact look like a blip…or an ever-widening ripple?
The best possible example of this is Jesus Christ, who was
the guiding force in Dave’s life. During His lifetime, Jesus was a novelty to
many, a curiosity people followed just to see what He would do next. When His
earthly days were over, Jesus left behind only a small, rag-tag band of men that
hardly looked like world-changers. Yet 2,000 years later, Christ followers have
multiplied, millions upon millions around the world.
God promises we, too, can have a profound, eternal impact on
the lives of people around us. In Isaiah 43:4 the Lord states, “Since you are precious and honored in my
sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people
in exchange for your life.” When we willingly and sacrificially give from
our lives for the benefit of others, God will reward our faithfulness.
In John 15, Jesus used the analogy of a grapevine to explain
the mission He had for His followers. As He concluded, Jesus explained, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and
appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that remains” (John 15:16).
There are many endeavors and enterprises we can engage in
and enjoy, but their impact will be brief. Even celebrated entertainers,
athletes, business and civic leaders that receive much media attention are
quickly forgotten when their day in the spotlight has ended. They may have achieved
their 15 minutes of fame, but many had little long-lasting impact on the world
around them.
They’re like shooting stars, sighted and then forgotten as
they disappear in the evening sky. God’s desire for our lives, however, is to
be more like the ripple in a pond, continuing to widen long after the pebble
that started it has vanished from view.
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