As a child, I used to enjoy balancing every domino we owned into one long succession and then watching in wonder after tipping the first one and seeing them all cascade down. It took a certain amount of patience to stick with it in spite of the inevitable accidental tipping and rebuilding. I remember watching a program on public television and being fascinated by the elaborate displays. It's incredible to think that the same basic domino I had used as a child, became a thing of such complicated designs in the hands of domino masters.
I was thinking how much like life the succession of dominoes can be. You have a design in mind and begin to build, then a younger sibling or an energetic pet comes along and knocks it over and you begin again. In life, we think we have a design in mind and we begin to build and then things happen, perhaps an illness that delays fulfilling plans, maybe a miscommunication that ends a relationship, or perhaps financial hardship that puts dreams on hold--or ends them forever.
Sometimes as you build there may be just a few dominoes that fall; you can easily fix things and move on. But sometimes, the hit is harder and more difficult to rectify. In dominoes you can pack them up when you get too tired or bored with the activity, but in life you just have to keep slogging along and sometimes it seems as though no sooner have you placed a domino, it teeters and eliminates minutes (or hours) of work. Those setbacks can really discourage you from trying again.
Not everything in life is within our control but some things are. How often have my hands or my own words destroyed someone else's succession of dominoes? A word of criticism, an opportunity lost for forgiving, a careless, sarcastic barb sent with unthinking readiness? And how often do I destroy my own succession of tiles?
Let's focus on the things we can control when it comes to crafting our domino chain in life. First of all, we can control the platform on which we build. The Bible makes a clear distinction between a solid and shaky foundation in Matthew 7:24-27,
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat the house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
If you try to position your dominoes on sand, they won't stand, much less cascade properly. You will spend an inordinate amount of time just trying to keep one domino standing. Building your life on anything but Christ, leads to futility, frustration, and ultimately failure. So make sure that you first choose your platform wisely.
Secondly, we have control over what conditions surround us. Are we trying to build in the midst of a hurricane? Or in the middle of a downpour? Or have we selected a place with shelter from storms within and without? What friendships have you allowed to "rain" on your life? What storms have you allowed to dash your progress? Choose wisely who and what surrounds you.
Thirdly, we have control over our reaction to setbacks. When the dominoes fall (due to trials, illness, or loss), do we just chuck it all and throw the dominoes out? Or do we take a deep breath, consider what there is to learn and begin again? I hope that no matter what setbacks you face, that you will choose to begin again.
In my health journey, I have learned that every good habit formed strengthens my resolve, and makes each future good habit easier to follow. When I began, I could hardly walk up a flight of stairs but as day added up to another tile in my succession, and the pounds fell away, I was able to add the habit of increased healthy motion to my life. And that increased activity led to stronger muscles that made possible other experiences like cross country skiing and zip lining.
Creating a positive chain reaction is like creating a new branch in your domino design that you never even knew was possible. Sort of like those junctions when one domino falling impacts two different lines and you have exponentially sparked multiple chain reactions. Habit accumulation has a way of expanding the possibilities in our life--impacting our future as well as impacting the lives of those around us. And when individuals are changed, families can change, and communities can be transformed.
And the most important domino in the whole chain? The first one. How much have we missed out on because we failed to place that first domino. This proverb (of unknown authorship) was included in the 1758 Poor Richard's Almanack:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
All for the want of a horseshoe nail.
That horseshoe nail is like the first domino upon which all future actions rest. What nail is your life hinging upon? And what will result from its lack? The smallest actions that seem insignificant at the time, can have a lasting impact. The nail may represent an alcoholic turning down a drink and setting a course toward sobriety. The nail may be a gambler's resolve to not buy another lottery ticket or turn aside from an evening at the casino, thereby forging a new path toward financial freedom. The nail may involve taking the first step toward a healthier lifestyle. Think of what may be lost for want of that nail in your life.
Our lives are like a succession of tiles erected over time, taking twists and turns. There will be a day when all those tiles will fall and the pattern revealed will be the legacy we leave behind. Some designs may not be fully visible until the tiles have fallen. That requires faith and discipline to keep putting out the next domino and trusting that it will keep the chain reaction going, not only in our life but in the lives of those around us. Let's work on building a legacy whose beauty will impact others' lives by inspiring and encouraging others to start building a positive chain reaction one step, one habit, one conquered trial at a time.
2 Peter 1:5-8 offers a beautiful picture of the chain reaction that begins with faith and results in our becoming more like Christ,
"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Faith must be the nail upon which the believer's life hinges--and then see what kind of chain reaction results! One that glorifies God and sparks similar results in those around us. Consider the nails that held Jesus on the cross that secured our pardon. Thanks be to God, those nails were not wanting. He obeyed unto death and those nails won a heavenly Kingdom for those who trust in Him.
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