Saturday, February 06, 2010

The Butterfly Effect

I’ve been working on a new brochure for speaking engagements that will allow me to bring hope to people during hard times. My goal is to share true stories from my life struggles that people can relate to and find the same hope that I found – A hope that changes the downward spiral into an emerging positive life of beauty. I couldn’t help but use the symbolism of a butterfly on the cover of the brochure to represent the new hope that sends our life soaring.

Today I read Andy Andrews’ book The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters, and I now realize how powerful my butterfly choice was. In his book, Andy shares numerous true stories of how your and my life was changed by the decisions of people we never met. He takes time to prove through historical information how seemingly little events led to major changes, touching billions of lives.

The best part of his book is his proof that you and I will alter millions of people’s lives by the choices we make and actions we take. His simple book proves that your life and mine has meaning and purpose. We were created to make a difference. We were given the power to change the world.

I couldn’t help but reflect back on several books I read that point out how all major changes in our world were started by a single person with passion.

Years ago, I shot an documentary with Captain Joe Dawson. He was a simple man with great integrity and very easy to talk to. He shared with me what happened on Omaha Beach when he landed there on D-Day. He watched his men being picked off like they were boxed in a slaughterhouse. He bowed his head for a quick moment, while still under fire and asked God to show him a way off of the beach. After saying Amen, he opened his eyes, looked up and saw a ridge that he thought might work. He headed up the ridge, took out the bunker and watched others take “Dawson’s Ridge” off of the beach to safety. With the first bunker out of commission, other ridges quickly appeared and the remaining bunkers were taken out. The Allied Forces had changed the course of WWII.

It was one simple God-fearing man that changed the course of the greatest world war in history. It makes me wonder who taught him to pray when he found himself in difficult situations, because maybe that person should also get credit for turning the tide on WWII.

More importantly, I wonder what you will do this week that will impact someone who will impact someone else. What do you say we take some intentional action this week to encourage or bless someone whose path you will cross.

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