(The following is the script for the Take Ten with Pastor Don Podcast from September 5, 2023. You can listen to the Podcast on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms. You can also subscribe by “ringing the bell” on the platform of your choice.)

Take Ten with Pastor Don

September 5, 2023

The Butterfly Effect, or It’s the Small things that make the Big Difference

Welcome to Take Ten with Pastor Don. I’m Don McGarvey, pastor of the Troy Mills Christian Church in Troy Mills, Iowa.

Several years ago, I was introduced to a theory called, “The Butterfly Effect.” Another way to put this might be, “It’s the small things that make the big difference.”

The theory, as I was introduced to it, said that a butterfly or several butterflies flapping their wings in the jungles of the Amazon could produce major weather events hundreds if not thousands of miles away.

Originally, the “Butterfly Effect” was only being used in regard to weather.

To the best of my knowledge there was never any proof, and by that, I mean there was never a way that these conditions could be reproduced in a controlled setting.

Also, the original theory did not involve butterflies. Instead, it was about a seagull or a flock of seagulls causing a storm by flapping of wings.

I’ve often wondered if marketing had anything to do with the change from a seagull to a butterfly.

Talking about the “Butterly Effect” has a romanticism about it that just isn’t present in talking about the “Seagull effect.”

I don’t know if butterflies or seagulls flapping their wings in the jungles of the Amazon bring about major weather changes, but I do know that many times minor changes often are the cause of major shifts in life.

Here’s my take on it.

Too often when we take inventory of our lives, we see glaring things that need to be different.

It could be weight loss, sleep habits, or work habits. It could be to stop smoking or it could be to change our prayer habits, Bible reading habits, or time spent with our spouse, our children or time spent with our parents.

We see the glaring need for difference and we determine in our minds that we are going to change.

But those changes are not all going to happen at once, or even in the first few weeks or months.

Let me give you some examples.

I encourage folks to read their Bible. Sometimes I challenge folks to set a goal of reading their Bible in a year.

For someone who doesn’t like to read, or for someone who has a reading disability, this is a daunting task. Even when they think of committing to this goal, they see themselves as failing.

One person told about all the times they started to read their Bible through in a year only to make it a few days, or even a few weeks, but then they got confused, didn’t understand what they were reading. Discouragement set in and they gave up.

I mentioned to this person how if they read only three chapters each day, they would accomplish the goal of reading their Bible in a year.

I also talked to them about finding a translation of the Bible that was easy to read. We found a reliable translation that was based on a three-thousand-word vocabulary. (This is a third-grade reading level.)

For someone with a reading disability or for someone who has never been a reader, this is important.

We celebrated every milestone along the way. They fulfilled the goal of reading the entire Bible through in a year. But they did it a day at a time.

There is nothing to be ashamed of if you have a reading disability or you just don’t enjoy reading.

We live in a time with so many options. You can find translations of the Bible with different reading levels. You can find audio Bibles that you can listen to on a regular basis. You can even find visual Bibles that you watch on-line or via DVD’s. We’ve run out of excuses for not reading God’s Word.

The same thing holds true of our prayer life.

I have a friend who prays for three to four hours a day. He gets up at 3 AM to pray. He’s done this for more than fifty years. It’s a lifestyle for him. But it wasn’t at first.

He also takes an hour long nap every day from noon to 1 PM. He’s a good man but he’s not superman.

Don’t worry about praying for an hour to start with. To go from zero to an hour is not realistic. Start with a minor change. Five, ten, or fifteen minutes a day three days a week is a great place to start.

For those whose days are jammed packed, you might have to consider getting up fifteen minutes earlier or staying up fifteen minutes later.

Perhaps you can set aside ten to fifteen minutes at lunch or on a break.

It’s not realistic to think you are going to spend hours in prayer each when you haven’t been doing so before.

I know of a person who gets up 30 minutes earlier than they used to get up so they can write. They felt as if God called them to write. And doing it this way was the only way it was going to work.

30 minutes each day adds up over the course of weeks or months.

Minor changes like this are often the cause of greater victories or accomplishments.

I’ve talked with folks about turning the television off for a half hour. Spend that time reading, spend that time talking with your spouse, spend that time listening to your children talk about their day at school.

You may also talk to your kids about your day. Most kids that I’ve been around have no idea what their parents do during the day. They need to know those things.

You may have to set a time for how long you are on the internet or how much time you spend on social media.

There’s nothing wrong with either of those things but you might need to make a minor change to help fulfill a major goal.

No one must start at the top of the mountain with anything. Just as every journey in life starts with the first step, so every major accomplishment starts with a minor change in your daily routine.

Don’t quit. Keep flapping your wings. There’s a major change coming in your life and God will help you be prepared.

That’s it for our time today. Thanks for joining me on our podcast. If you haven’t subscribed yet, please hit the subscribe button on the platform on which you are listening. And if you are comfortable with doing so, let your friends know about us.

Thanks again and God bless!