Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
The Ripple Effect of Small Actions {Reflections}
Ever noticed how the smallest actions can ripple into significant impacts? Picture this: you're at Planet Fitness, and someone mindlessly spits gum into a urinal. Or maybe you're at Barnes & Noble, and a fellow shopper almost leaves a fallen book on the floor. These seemingly minor choices remind us that doing the right thing, no matter how trivial it seems, can help shape a more mindful and considerate world. Join me as I recount these eye-opening moments and discover how embracing this simple resolution can transform not just our lives but the lives of those around us.
Imagine a world where everyone takes a moment to choose kindness and responsibility. In this episode, you're invited to reflect on how small actions can create a big difference. Whether it’s taking a few seconds to discard gum properly or picking up a dropped book, these acts can lead to a more thoughtful community. Let's embark on this journey together, committing to "do the right thing" and fostering a positive change in our daily interactions. Let's make this the year of conscious choices and collective betterment.
Join us! Facebook | Instagram | www.clcelkriver.org
what is up everybody? Hey, happy new year. It's january 1st when this gets released. With january 1, I hope you're having an awesome January 1st so far, or you've had one. Maybe you got to sleep in a little bit or indulge in a nice I don't know big breakfast. But hey, I wanted to offer an idea for a New Year's resolution that I had that I thought of earlier. I want to kind of run it by you guys. It's one that I try to live by, but it's a good one for everybody, I think, and it's general enough but also can be very specific. And here's how I kind of thought about it.
Speaker 1:It's not like it's anything novel either, but I work at a gym in town called Planet Fitness. Maybe you've heard of these. It's a chain of Planet Fitnesses and they're fine. It's like it's super cheap. I love it because it's cheap and I see a lot of folks from the area, from the community, from Elk River, at the Planet Fitness, which is also kind of a. You know, it's usually crowded when I go, which is a bummer. You got to wait in line for the machines, but also, I don't know, I love seeing people, I know and um, but check this out. So in the guy in the men's bathroom. If you didn't, if you didn't know this about men's bathrooms, they have these uh, they call them urinals. You probably know this, maybe ladies.
Speaker 1:I've noticed, not just here, but it's a problem at Planet Fitness in Elk River, but I noticed it all over. People will spit their gum into the urinals in these places, so much that the people of Planet Fitness in Elk River had to hang a sign that said hey, please don't spit your gum into the urinals. And also like those tobacco packets that people have and see it all over. It's like, and I stand there. I'm like do people not know that that's not what you're supposed to do with your gum? Or are we like, are we that? Now I sound like the get off my lawn guy. I know I'm getting older, but I don't want to be that. But I'm like come on, you guys, you got to know that that's not the right thing, that you that's not where you put gum. It's the same with folks who like flick their cigarette butts out at the, at the street lights, you know, and like so next to any street lights like just a pile of cigarette butts and I'm like drives me crazy, and part of it is because I'm like god, just do the right thing. It takes you an extra I don't know two seconds to spit your gum into a garbage can. And that's my new year's resolution for you is is hey, do the right thing.
Speaker 1:This year I was at Barnes Noble it was actually about a year ago and I was standing by the magazine rack, which is by the door, and I was looking at magazines and this dude goes walking out the door On his way out. He bumps into this table and knocks a big book off the table. It falls into the ground and I see it. He doesn't see me, but I see him. I'm like maybe like 10 feet off to the right and he doesn't see me. And he stops, looks down, sees the book and doesn't pick it up and begins to walk out of the store. Then, at like almost the last minute, he sees me, his eye catches me and he goes. He stops and he goes like and looks at me like uh-oh, he's busted, and like in a flash it came to me. I go hey, man, just do the right thing. And he goes oh, is that from AA? I go no dude, it's just do the right thing. He was asking is that from Alcoholics Anonymous? I go no, man, because it sounds like maybe it is. I go, no, just do the right thing, pick the book up, man. And then he turned around, he picked of us and I don't know what the reasons are. But how many of us don't do the right thing? And to me this is like it's so simple and easy. But if you think about it, it could change everything if we went through our days and just did the right thing. So that's it. I'm going to keep it short. But today and in the weeks and months ahead, do the right thing.
Speaker 1:Now, if you're a religious person, if you're a Christian, ask the Spirit, I think, to come and show you what's the right thing to do. Sometimes it isn't always clear, sometimes it's super clear. Like don't spit your gum into the urinal in the Planet Fitness in Elk River because someone's going to pick it out. And when you knock a book over in a public, pick it up. Or, hey, if you're in traffic, there's all these instances. To just do the right thing. I believe that the Holy Spirit can come along and show you what those things are, anything where it's confusing or complicated, then seek some guidance from friends or talk to your pastor or just whatever. In general it's sometimes glaringly obvious, today and whatever, but in general it's sometimes glaringly obvious. So today and in this year, in 2025, no-transcript.
