Most of us imagine that changing the world requires grand gestures.
We wait for the perfect opportunity, the important conversation, the defining moment when we can finally make a significant difference.
But what if the deepest changes in our lives—and in the lives of others—happen in moments so ordinary that we almost miss them?
Recently, after visiting someone in the hospital, I stepped onto an elevator expecting nothing more than the walk back to my car. A simple question to another passenger—“How was your visit today?”—opened the door to a conversation about fear, uncertainty, and someone they loved. By the time we reached the lobby, tears had been shared, hope had been spoken, and before we parted, I was given the privilege of praying for the person they had come to visit.
It lasted only a few minutes.
I may never know whether it made any lasting difference.
But that isn’t really the point.
One of the practices I’ve been exploring in this series is what I call Ripening Action—recognizing that every action, however small, participates in the relational fabric of our lives together. We often measure importance by size, visibility, or applause. The Kingdom of God seems to measure it differently.
A smile.
A greeting.
A patient conversation.
Holding a door.
Listening without trying to fix someone.
Offering encouragement.
Stopping long enough to notice another person.
These are not interruptions to the spiritual life.
They are the spiritual life.
Every day offers countless opportunities to choose presence over distraction, kindness over indifference, compassion over hurry. Most of these moments will never make the news. No one will congratulate us for them. We may never know what became of the person whose path briefly crossed our own.
But perhaps that is exactly how ripening works.
Think about dropping a pebble into still water. The ripple travels far beyond where it first appears. Long after the pebble has disappeared beneath the surface, the water continues to move.
Our lives are much the same.
A small act of love can ripple through someone else’s day in ways we will never witness. It may give them courage to keep going. It may remind them they are not alone. It may soften a heart that has grown weary. And perhaps that ripple continues outward, touching still others.
We rarely get to see where those ripples end.
That doesn’t make them any less real.
In fact, I wonder if the most transformative moments of our lives are often the ones we never fully recognize.
Ripening Action is simply paying attention.
It is noticing the moment in front of us.
It is trusting that kindness matters, even when it seems insignificant.
It is believing that love is never wasted.
When we choose to be present, we are quietly proclaiming something profound to another human being:
You matter.
You are worthy of my attention.
You are not alone.
In other words, we are living out the very message that closes every episode of this podcast.
You are infinitely precious and unconditionally loved for the gift you already are.
May your actions ripen this week.
May you notice the elevator moments, the passing conversations, the ordinary encounters that become sacred simply because you choose to be fully present.
You may never see the ripple.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t changing the world.
Reflection Questions
- When has a small act of kindness unexpectedly changed your day?
- Where might you be overlooking opportunities for Ripening Action in your ordinary routines?
- What would change if you believed that no act of love is ever too small to matter?
Infinitely Precious 