Infinite Consequences from Finite Obedience

Our day-to-day lives are filled with what we may find to be insignificant choices.

Our grocery store of choice.

The coffee shop we frequent.

Our carpool rotation.

The walk we take to our desk and the people we pass along the way.

Miniscule. Minor. Of little consequence on a much grander scale.

But what if they weren't? Under the surface of the seemingly insignificant, we find something much more grand. Something eternal.

Over the next three days, we’re going to reposition our perspective to see the ordinary as anything but. As we focus on how our seemingly insignificant choices and giftings contribute to a far greater story, we will see how our lives are best positioned in a gospel-aimed surrender.

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone [just one grain, never more]. But if it dies, it produces much grain and yields a harvest.”

John 12:24 AMP

In 1972, a meteorology professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology named Edward Lorenz was making a small adjustment to a computer-simulated weather pattern. Rather than repeating his normal simulation, he made a tiny alteration, rounding off his variable from .506127 to .506. This seemingly meaningless change drastically impacted the entire weather pattern, changing its course altogether.

He famously posed this question in response to what he found: “Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?”

This small disturbance had far-reaching effects, more than he might ever have imagined. Through the lens of a faith-filled life, we can pose a similar question: do our seemingly insignificant choices create a ripple effect for the sake of the Gospel?

As we continue in this journey together, let us begin by asking ourselves that very question. Take a moment to consider your daily choices and their consequences and ask, “Lord, how might you want to use what I see to be small?”