I was recently pondering the wonder of ladybugs. Each one of them has a slightly different shade of orange or red. As I observed one crawling along the window pane in my bedroom, I thought, “There may not be another living thing on the planet that looks exactly like this one.” Then I squished it in a piece of toilet paper and threw it in the trash.
How self defeating is it to marvel over something before destroying it? I imagine most people don’t give it a second thought and are probably all the wiser for that. But, I tend to wonder about the impact of even the most seemingly insignificant actions.
You may have heard some variation of the proverb, “Step on an ant and change the course of a star.” If this is true, the act of driving a 2000 pound machine, running over armies of ants, splattering countless flying insects on the windshield must alter whole constellations. Clearly, the literal truth of this statement doesn’t hold, but I do believe that the basic concept is true. Every action we perform, everything we say, even every thought we have can have a ripple affect beyond our comprehension.
Our thoughts and consciousness are pure creative energy. It seems that a part of our nature that is uniquely human is an insatiable desire to alter our surroundings. Whether it’s fluffing a pillow or remodeling the bathroom or the odd cultural expectation to keep our lawn trimmed and uniform in color, we are always changing our environment to meet our desires.
Recognizing the power that we have as individuals, not only helps us develop a sense of responsibility, but also a sense of empowerment. Most of us do not recognize the full extent of the power God has given us. Recognize and direct that power with intention and you can change the world starting with your own life.