The Ripple Effect of Words

Last week, I attended the funeral for a woman I hadn’t seen in thirty years. She was the mother of one of my best friends in high school, who I’d also lost touch with. But I still carried both of them in my heart because of the impact they’d had on my faith journey.

Not surprisingly, the service revealed the lovely 93-year-old had a positive influence on four generations of family also in attendance.

I hung out at Tina’s house when we were in high school, as best friends tend to do, and got to know her mama. I came to love Ella’s gentle spirit and unassuming manner.

It was Tinawho’d told me about her mother’s act of faith that’s stayed with me all theseyears.

One week, Ellahad a decision to make. Money was tight. If she tithed on Sunday, as was her custom,she would not have lunch money for Tina. She tithed anyway, trusting God toprovide.

On Sundayevening, she found a few dollars in a coat pocket. It was enough for a week ofschool lunches.

Thissimple act of faith got the attention of this teenager. Could the found moneybe more than coincidence as Tina and her mom believed?

Later, asa young mother teaching school, I was in charge of family finances. We were tryingto build our budget to tithe and give God our first fruits. One month I wrotethe checks, and it was apparent that if I gave the budgeted amount, I wouldn’thave the money to make our credit card payment.

I thoughtof Ella. Dare I step out in faith?

I decidedto write the check to the church and hold off on the credit card and cutexpenses so I could double up next month. When the statement came, I opened itexpecting to see a late fee. But this wasn’t the case! I had paid extra theprevious month, so a payment wasn’t even due.

Since thattime, I’ve been blessed time and again by the Lord when I give although moneyis tight.

Tina’sstory and her mom’s actions had a ripple effect. God used their testimony to planta seed in my heart that has continued to grow since.

God later ledme to use this personal experience in a devotion I wrote for a Sunday Schoolpublication. Who knows? Maybe it motivated someone to put their faith in God asthey tithed. Maybe their action influenced someone else.

We neverknow the effect our words and actions may have on others—no matter how simple. Goduses us if we let Him. We need to share our testimony, whether in conversationor writing. We don’t need a jaw-dropping, mired-in-sin, raised-from-the-dead storyto steer someone’s heart toward God in some small way.

And weneed to trust that God uses our words although we may not know it until wearrive at heaven’s gates.

“For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37 NIV).

We never know the effect our words and actions may have on others—no matter how simple. God uses us if we let Him. Share on X