What effect is your decision today going to have on your future?
The term “butterfly effect” describes the idea that something as simple as a butterfly flapping its wings in one place could have much larger impact downstream in a chaotic system. In other words, small actions can have huge impacts on a complex system. The imagery is that of a butterfly flapping its wing and the cumulative effects resulting in a typhoon in another place.
While that imagery might seem like a far stretch, the so-called “small decisions” in our lives can indeed result in ultimate success or failure. Even when there are no witnesses, the decisions we make shape who we are and ultimately determines the direction of our lives. Like Martha Beck aptly noted, “The way we do anything is the way we do everything”
Small everyday decisions can serve as catalysts that act on starting conditions to determine the direction of our lives in the future. Consider your life and your choices today, are you going in the right direction? Are you doing your very best or are you compromising? What is guiding your life? Are you being true to yourself?
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path – psalm 119: 105
Who are you becoming?
We have the choice each day to determine the trajectory of our stories by the decisions we make. While we might not have a clear view of the final destination of our lives, we should have a general sense of the direction and focus our activities in that direction.
Have you ever wondered what would have happened if a different decision was made in a specific situation? In terms of “If A had not occurred, C would not have occurred” (counterfactual conditionals). For example, perhaps if Esau had not sold his birthright to Jacob for a plate of porridge, he would retain his birthright and the Israelites will be referred to as the Nation of Esau? Then God will perhaps be referred to as the God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Esau? Or if Orpah had followed Naomi back to Israel, instead of Ruth, perhaps Orpah would have been the great grandmother of King David and ended up in the lineage of Jesus.
If Esau had been given a glimpse of the ripple effect of his decision through the years, he probably wouldn’t have sold his birthright for food. The vision of his desired future could have kept him resolute in the present.
Thankfully, you and I are in the middle of our story and we have the opportunity to reconsider our ways and retrace our steps if necessary. We can consider the quality of our decisions and the implications on the future. Ultimately, we are all products of our choices.
The best decision we can make today is to trust God to guide our choices and order our steps. He is the only one that knows the past, the present and the future. That makes Him the only one qualified to lead us through the labyrinths of life.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3: 5-6
