Take It to Jesus: A 3-Day Devotional by Anna GoldenExemplo

Day 3: The Butterfly Effect

Whenever I take inventory of my life and reflect on what God has done, I imagine this red string connecting one thing to another and watch this beautiful synchronicity unfold. I call this the “God thread.”

My “God thread” started with my mom. She moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when she was five. Her father passed away six weeks later. Her family wasn’t very religious, but their house happened to be right across the street from a small neighborhood church. After my mom’s father passed, the church immediately started bringing her family meals and helping with yard work.

This story overwhelms me. Before they even invited my mom’s family to attend a service, this church served them. That pastor brought Jesus to my mom’s childhood front door by way of some food and a lawnmower. And I am a product of that meal and that freshly cut grass.

My mother went on to live a life devoted to the Lord where she would sing in church every week; and one day, in walked my dad. If it wasn’t for the kindness of that church, I wouldn’t know Jesus the way I do; I wouldn’t have been raised the way I was; and, ultimately, I wouldn’t be writing this for you to read. Today, I think of every life tied to the ministry God has graced me to lead, and I can’t help but think of a small church community that wrapped themselves around a widow and her five children.

Matthew 25:35-36 says: “For when you saw me hungry, you fed me. When you found me thirsty, you gave me drink. When I had no place to stay, you invited me in, and when I was poorly clothed, you covered me. When I was sick, you tenderly cared for me, and when I was in prison you visited me.”

I think we’d treat people differently if we knew what was waiting on the other side of us holding a door open, taking a hot meal to a family in need, or calling a friend that’s on our heart. Taking someone to Jesus can create a butterfly effect that’s more beautiful than words.

So, I want to challenge you with this: Who can you take to Jesus this week? You never know how one small “yes” to showing God’s kindness can affect an entire generation.