One Pebble

And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 1 Samuel 31:2

One of the worst lies I told myself in my addiction was that, as long as no one knew about my drug use, it wasn’t hurting anyone. I was married with kids though, and so as my addiction made me sick, it inevitably made my family sick. I wanted to believe that I could use drugs with no effect on others, but like a pebble in a pond*, my behavior had unavoidable ripple effects, impacting those closest to me. Whether I like it or not, my behavior impacts those in my ripple zone. So, in recovery now, I must daily be cognizant of the responsibility I have for my actions and their impact on those around me.

Though it was too late for him, this is the lesson of King Saul’s life from today’s passage. In the story, Saul met his death at the hand of the invading Philistines. Saul had believed in God, but his entire life he simply followed his own will, doing whatever he wanted. For his disobedience, Saul was told he was going to lose his kingdom. In today’s passage, that prophesy came true, but it didn’t only impact Saul. Jonathan, Saul’s son and David’s best friend, was also killed along side Saul. Though it appears that Jonathan lived a good life, following God, his father’s self-destructive behavior rippled over into his life, taking him down with Saul.

I may not be responsible for the behavior of others, but I am responsible for the impact my behavior has on them. The closer others are to me, the greater the impact. In my addiction, my sickness made others sick. Thankfully though, the opposite is true as well. In recovery, God’s work in my life can spill out of me, sending out good ripples affecting those around me. When I first got sober, I intended to go out and change the world. I quickly realized that I wasn’t responsible for the world. I was, however, responsible for my little corner of it. As far as I can impact the lives of those around me, I’m responsible to make sure my ripples are helpful, not hurtful. I may just be one pebble, but still, I’ve got my ripples. So, today and every day, I want God to use me and my ripples to do his work in the lives of those around me.

*I borrowed today’s title, concept, and graphic from The One Pebble Podcast, hosted by Kristine Duininck and produced by my wife, Barb Abrams. In the podcast, Kristine interviews those who use their abilities to send out ripples, changing lives around them for the better. Give it a listen!

theonepebblepodcast.com