The Domino Effect

We've all seen the domino effect where people line up dominoes in elaborate trains and then someone pushes just one of the dominoes, and they begin gracefully falling down one at a time. What might have taken hours to set up, one small push sets in motion. We sit and stare in awe as one leads to the next until finally they all come to rest and the motion stops.

I think God must enjoy the domino effect because I think He puts things in motion for us all the time. Sometimes we deny Him the enjoyment of watching those dominoes gracefully fall because we are too overcome by pride, but when we allow Him to work in the lives of others many times we reap the blessings of that.

I've witnessed a domino effect just this week. A friend of my daughter lost his wife last week and the funeral is tomorrow in the DFW area. She is in college in Arkansas and because of some financial issues was not going to be able to go to the funeral. My daughter has a tremendous amount of relater in her and stood up in front of a room full of virtual strangers Sunday and poured out her heart. She went asking for prayers for her friend and for her heavy heart because she could not be there for him during this awful time. A stranger approached her after she sat down and asked her what was standing in her way of attending the funeral. She told him that it was mainly money. He handed her a card with his name and phone number on it and told her if she wanted to go, he would purchase her airline ticket.

Okay, here's where pride could have put an end to that domino effect. Her dad and I were both raised to always pay our way and to never accept a hand-out. We have had to do some tremendous growing over the past year to get beyond that mindset. When she called me and asked me what I thought about it, this time my response was a lot different than it would have been just a few months ago. I told her that if she did not accept the gift he was offering, then she was denying him the right to serve in a way that he can serve. You see, we all have gifts, but we don't all have the same gifts. He obviously has the gift to serve others monetarily. That is the domino that God has awarded him. God wants to witness that domino falling and hitting the other dominoes.

Before she arrives back in her dorm room tomorrow night she will have blessed many people. My sister and mother get to pick her up from the airport and spend some time with her, and she gets to see her friend and bless him by her presence and quite possibly affect the course of his life by her efforts.

All of this because of one little domino.

My encouragement to you is to let God set in motion the dominoes of your life. Never let pride stand in your way of sharing your heart and graciously accepting the gifts other people have to offer you.

Blessings,
Penny