Making Waves

Over the last few weeks we have had a heat wave here in Stockholm. This is something that I have experienced a time or two in Sweden, but not that often. I live in a townhouse right beside lake Mälaren and have a beautiful view of the lake and sunsets. over the last two weeks I have taken the opportunity to sit on a dock in the morning or sometimes in the afternoon and just enjoy the beauty of the lake.

Now this might sound really relaxing and wonderful but there is something that I have noticed that has really amazed me. I have noticed the "ripple effect"!... Thats right! It seems like everybody and their friend has a boat in Stockholm. Their are large ones and small ones, fast ones and slow ones, fiberglass ones and wooden ones, white ones and blue ones... (If I continue to describe them I will sound like the old childrens book by Dr. Suess called, "One fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue fish", so I will stop here). They all seem to be in hurry going somewhere and as they drive by the dock that I sit on they make waves or ripples. These waves come in all different sizes depending on the size of the boat or the motor on the boat. The waves make their way to the shore that I am sitting beside and splash up on the rocks etc... and make quite a noise.

I guess what I am trying to say is this, with all the boats going by and the waves or ripples they make as they sail, I find it at times actually stressful instead of relaxing. In fact, I think I could say that at times it is down right stressfull to sit there. Sometimes it seems like one wave after another just comes crashing to shore and making all kinds of noise and spraying water everywhere. I go down to the lake to sit and think, and instead of this, I find myself dodging waves and water splashing everywhere.

Then I began to realize that the waves or ripples of water that are stressing me out by the shore of lake Mälaren are very simular to the waves and ripples that come from our lives as we live and breath here on earth. No man is an island, and the way that we live, and the things that we say, do effect other people around us. In other words, all that we do and say produces waves that ripple out and goes spashing on someones shore.

If this is true then I begin to think about my life and wonder what kinds of waves I am making and what kind of an effect they are having on others. Have you thought about this? What kind of waves are you making today? Are they positive or negative? Are they just making alot of noise or are they benifiting others and encouraging them.

When I think about the waves of my life I think about the book that I believe speaks to this issue the most and that is the Bible. In Hebrews12:14, the author says, "make every effort to live in peace with all men..." Can you imagine what the world would look like today if everyone praticed that! Jesus goes on to say in John 15:12,12, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." The Bible speaks a lot about loving others and even loving our enemies. This is easier to read then it is to do. In fact when I think about it, it is impossible to do it all the time. For me to live like this( which I believe will make the kind of waves in our world today that will encourage and inspire) is impossible in my own strength but God says that He is here in order to help us live the kind of lives that are pleasing to Him. He wants to help us do what is otherwise impossible.

What about your life today? Are you making the waves or sending the ripple effect that you want to send today?