Every Stone Causes a Ripple

Stock Image of a Ripple in Water

We see in the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NRSV).

Every stone that is tossed into the pond creates a ripple. There is not one person who will be able to go to all nations and evangelize all in the world. But for every person living into the calling that God has set upon their lives and is doing the work to which God has called them, they are like a stone thrown into a pond. They are causing a ripple effect creating the space and place for others to live into their calling and do the work God calls them. Then when everyone is living into their calling and doing the work of God here on earth, we as the Body of Christ are going to all nations and proclaiming the Gospel.

It can be so easy to look at the bigger picture and think that we have to take on so much to fulfill the great calling of God. However, God does not call each and every one of us to fulfill the big picture alone. God calls us to a work that each of us can do ourselves that will eventually cause such a ripple effect that the collective Body of Christ effectively fulfills the great calling.

The very work you are doing has such a significant impact that when combined with all the other work done to fulfill the calling of God, the Great Commission becomes a possibility. As the ripple gets larger and larger, the Great Commission becomes closer and closer. One day this Great Commission will be completed and would not have been possible without the very work you are doing. You are a stone thrown in the pond, and your ripple is making it possible for others to find themselves tossed into the pond. Thank you for living into your calling!

© 2021 Kiersten Smeal

Recovery is a Spiral

Progress cannot be a straight line if life is full of twists and turns. Why is it were are told that as long as we are going forward we are moving closer to our destination? If I turn left where I should have turned right, I am getting no closer to my destination by just moving forward. By having this mindset when tracking our recovery progress, we are only setting ourselves up for failure.

I don’t know about you, but I am my own biggest critic. I have a support system I am no where near worthy of, but I cannot tell myself that I am ever doing a good job. No matter how long I am able to go without self-harm behavior or how many days in a row I go without skipping a meal, I cannot see that it has been months longer between episodes or a shorter episode than ever before… All I am able to see is that I have fallen back down the stairs. I have gone backwards. I am not making any progress.

People would tell me that I have not gone back as far as I think and to look at all the progress I have made, but I just saw all the progress I lost.

I recently read this quote from C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity:

We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.

What if progress doesn’t mean going forward, but it means getting closer to a destination? What if knowing that we took a wrong turn actually helps us get closer to our destination? What if progress is more of a spiral than a straight line.

Well, my friend… then we are rocking it!

I mean think about it with me. When you make a mistake or fall back into old habits, you feel bad and work towards where you were before. You realize the wrong turn and start back to where you were before the turn. You begin to make it closer to your destination. You are making progress. You are well on the road to recovery!

I am so proud of all the hard work you are putting in!

Keep up the hard work. Stay on the Spiral. I am here for you.

Thanksgiving Chaos

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him

Colossians 3:17

We have made it to the beginning of the craziness of the Holiday season. Some may have already been traveling or had various events, but tomorrow is the first of the two holidays that end the year.

Gathering as family, friends, strangers in thankfulness. Or at least we are supposed to. Lots of times, these gatherings bring together broken families in fragmented ways, create spaces of fighting and anxiety, or can be the most dreaded times.

This year as the gatherings take place, I invite you to take care of yourself. Set the boundaries you need to set. Ignore the questions that everyone asks every year that make you grind your teeth.

Please know you are not alone this holiday season as you begin to sink down the spiral of mental health struggles. If you need to reach out, please comment on here or reach out to your support system.

I am rooting you on as you conquer this holiday season. Please do take time to enjoy something from the day! The food, seeing someone you haven’t seen in forever, a conversation, getting rest.

My prayer for you: Lord. Holidays can be rough. We go through them every year but sometimes the struggles get to be too much. The people we’ve lost this year, the people we try to protect ourselves from, the food that everyone expects us to eat. Lord I ask that You be with each and every person that struggles on the holidays. Let Your presence be what draws them through. We are thankful for You Lord. Amen.

Thank you for being You!

Thank you for being you. Everything about you is what makes you unique. We don’t need another of ourselves, but we do need one of you. So, thank you for being you.

Have you thanked someone for being them recently?

Have a great week! ❤️

The Journey Begins

The Church is designed to nourish the imperfect, the struggling, and the exhausted. -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Together we will fight the stigma against mental health issues and the church. We’re here for each other. Support in a troubling sea. To carry the burdens of each other and love each other. I hope you will find a supportive place here and join me!

© 2018 Kiersten Smeal