Good Ripples

Louis Duval

MA, LPC, LAC, CAC

6/2/2025

Making good ripples is a phrase I heard on a TV show many years ago, and I was reminded of it as reflected on the deaths of 2 great women within the past year. I say great, but unless you knew them, you probably wouldn’t recognize their names because neither one of them did anything that you would see on social media, on the news, or on a billboard; what they did that made them great was to make good ripples where God placed them.

The first lady I am thinking of was my aunt, a nurse and an addiction counselor after she “retired” from nursing. When I went to her funeral, there were people there I did not know. People she had helped as a nurse or counselor, and as I got to thinking about it, she helped those people get healthy, either physically or mentally, and now they are able, because they are healthy, to go out into the world and help others. Another thing about her is that she loved Jesus. If you spent time talking to her, you would hear about Him. How many people came to know Jesus, or maybe are now asking questions and searching because of something she said to them or something they saw in her life?

The other lady I am thinking of was a teacher at my daughter’s school. She was a light at the school. The memorial service was packed with people who were touched by her life. She was an encourager not only to her students but to any student she came in contact with at school. How many of those students have gone out or will go out into the world to teach others or to use the talents God has given to them because she helped them realize they matter and could do it. This teacher also loved Jesus, she had accepted Christ only 2 years before she passed away. Many talked at the memorial service about how she came to know Christ. How many people at the memorial service have heard of Jesus for the first time or think about Him differently because of her impact on their lives?

A quote that comes to mind about the impact of these women is: “If I cannot do great things, I will do small things in a great way.” These ladies did the small things God called them to do each day, but those small things were done in a great way, and because of that, they were great things!

So, what about you? It may not be God’s plan for you to go to another country to be a missionary for Him, you may never be in the news, and you may not be widely known on social media, but you can make a difference where God has placed you. God has created you with a purpose and for a reason. Whether you are a student going about your day, working at an office job, a stay-at-home mom or dad, a waitress at a restaurant, a cashier at the grocery store, or wherever you are, you are impacting people daily. When you positively impact someone you come in contact with, you never know how that person will affect others. You may not know the extent of the ripples you make, make sure they are good ripples!