Have you ever thrown a boomerang? Unlike a frisbee, a boomerang is designed to go out and come back. Those who are really good at throwing the boomerang don’t even have to move to catch it. It just returns to where it started.
As I thought about boomerangs, I realized that many of us have psychological, emotional, or spiritual boomerangs. We carry a certain attitude and it comes right back to us. We think a certain way and the results are not at all surprising. We treat people with kindness and they will likely offer kindness in return. Likewise, a harsh word leads to harsh words.
Boomerangs.
What I believe about God is often what gets returned to me. If I believe he is willing and able to make a difference in my life, I pray with that expectancy and look for signs of his involvement. If I believe in an apathetic God, I may not even see the most obvious signs of his care.
Boomerangs.
Generosity creates a boomerang effect. You see this boomerang effect when one person does a nice deed and the next person “pays it forward.” All it takes to set off a ripple effect of kindness is for the first person to pay the next person’s bill. Unlike ripples in a lake, these ripples grow stronger the closer they get.
Becoming aware of the boomerangs in your life is empowering. It allows you to choose. Believe it or not, you have control over many (if not all) the boomerangs in your life. While you can’t control what others throw at you, you can certainly control what you let fly and what you don’t.
Choose your boomerangs wisely. Sooner or later, they’ll return.