The Ripple Effect: How Small Acts of Decency Create Big Change

Pictured with Ms. Joyce Parrish O’Neal

I miss the days of having conversations with the elders. As each day passes, I am reminded that I am now in the number that is becoming elders. So, let me pass on some wisdom. When I was a child, I remember the my elders teaching us about how to show common decency to the people that we would encounter daily.

There are times where I wonder what happened to those days. I know that people have a lot of things on their mind due to the pressures of life. However, how much effort does it take to give a smile, a head nod, a wave, a “What’s up”, a “Hi”, a “How are you”, etc to let someone know you recognized their humanity for just a moment? And how hard is it to respond to someone who acknowledged you? Not too long ago I simply spoke and held an elevator door open for a gentleman. I didn’t think much about it, but this gentleman started a conversation with me that ended with him getting emotional and telling me that I had made his day.

Since I started practicing the spiritual discipline of hospitality to make it a point to let everyone I come into contact with know that I see their humanity, I have been blessed to see the results of a simple kind gesture. I believe that part of why some of us are so bitter is because we do not make it a point to communicate with others. I have a ritual that I do with my family every day. I also have a ritual that I do with my coworkers. There are different greetings that we have for each other. Most of these rituals/greetings put a smile on people’s faces. Some don’t, but they are looked for forward to. This is the atmosphere that I intentionally work on creating.

There are those of us who believe that the Kingdom of God coming to Earth is not only future phenomenon but that we are also supposed to be doing Kingdom work now. Those of us who call ourselves followers of the Jesus of the Gospels need to remember the teachings of the elders that I talked about at the beginning of this writing. Common decency seems to be a thing of the past. Some of us have allowed our idolatrous beliefs to be right and in control to look down on others. You may want to go back and read my blog post entitled: “Reckoning with Whiteness.” 

https://www.edupreneurialtheologian.com/blog/reckoning-with-whiteness

This is a part of what has caused the widespread paranoia, anger, and hatred that is being spewed by people who call themselves Christians yet they outwardly practice the works of the flesh. While these people focus on their perception of morality, they promote a distorted version of morality. Galatians 5:19-21 CEB translates the Text like this:

19 The actions that are produced by selfish motives are obvious, since they include sexual immorality, moral corruption, doing whatever feels good,

20 idolatry, drug use and casting spells, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper, competitive opposition, conflict, selfishness, group rivalry,

21 jealousy, drunkenness, partying, and other things like that. I warn you as I have already warned you, that those who do these kinds of things won’t inherit God’s kingdom. 

I believe that some of us need to be careful about the trains we are hopping on and the rhetoric that we blatantly and ignorantly repeat. I find it interesting that while these same people are so concerned about a person’s private life, they are publicly and proudly living out the Text that talks about it being sin to know to do right and not do it. Paul’s writing reminds us that works of the flesh are done in plain sight. While my holier than thou friends are constantly seeking to condemn the people who they deem to be sinners, they may want to see if EVERY aspect of their lives (including religious and political) align with the Galatians Text above because what they are showing is a bunch of rotten fruit. Last time I checked, I heard something about a tree is recognized and judged by the fruit that it bears. As Ice Cube said, “Check yo self before you wreck yo self.”