Beyond Camp Student EditionSample

Ripples

I love skipping stones across the lake at my camp. A good throw with a flat stone can lead to five or six skips, making ripples with each bounce.

My choices are like that too. Every choice I make creates a ripple in my life as well as in the lives of people near me. My choices shape who I become, how I affect others, and what others think about me. What I really want, love, and think shows up in the ripples I make.

The apostle Paul teaches us to make choices that ripple well and show we’re fully committed to Jesus and to what matters.

In the book of Philippians, Paul said that when our love grows “in knowledge and understanding,” we’re able to “understand what really matters, so that we may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.”

As a friend once told me, our lives aren’t made by the things we dream for, but by the choices we make—choices like:

• acting in consideration of others’ needs and not just my own;
• forgiving and repairing things when our friends make mistakes;
• listening rather than doing all the talking;
• and learning something new every day.

May you and I ripple well.

Written by Our Daily Bread

How did the choices you made yesterday affect the people around you? What choices are coming tomorrow?

Dear Jesus, may my choices help others and honor You today!