Your good deeds have greater impact than you may realize

An unexpected Aha Moment from reading about Ruth & Naomi – our good deeds have greater impact than we may realize.

It’s so touching how Ruth loyally stuck with her mother in law instead of going back to her family. “Do not plead with me to abandon you, to turn back from accompanying you; for where you go I will go, and where you spend the night, I will spend the night. Your people will be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May Jehovah do so to me and add to it if anything but death should separate me from you.” (Ruth 1:16, 17)

Soon she met Boaz. Here’s what got me thinking … he had heard about Ruth and how she stayed with Naomi. He said “A full report was made to me of all you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your relatives to go to a people whom you had not known before. May Jehovah reward you for what you have done, and may there be a perfect wage for you from Jehovah the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” (Ruth 2:11, 12) A wonderful chain reaction of blessings for Ruth was set into motion by Boaz, it all escalated from there. Especially: eventually he and Ruth got married and their son became David’s grandfather, and in time Jesus was born into that family line.

At the time Ruth wasn’t aware of the ripple effect that her unselfish love produced, nor the profound impact which resulted. She was just being herself, but Boaz took notice of her kind deed.  So … if only ONCE in your lifetime you positively affect someone, even only ONE time, you have made a difference in the world! Something improved because you were here. Think of the multitude of impact effects we have all during our life, though -- it’s more than just one person one time. Over and over we have a positive effect on people in our family, in our congregation, our friends, strangers, and especially in our ministry. We might not realize it. We might not ever find out how.

Let’s “drop into the pond” some loving-kindness, compassion, acceptance, joy, selflessness, empathy, patience, thoughtfulness, and gratitude as often as possible. We just might end up making more than a ripple … we might make some mighty waves.