The Butterfly Effect

Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:43-45

Perhaps You’ve heard or read about the theory that says a butterfly’s wings fluttering can affect weather patterns thousands of miles away.

On an ordinary winter day in 1961, an MIT meteorologist named Edward Lorenz ran some routine experiments and found some unusual results. Lorenz discovered that seemingly tiny and insignificant changes in his data could produce huge differences in the final result. At first, Lorenz and other scientists in the field of chaos theory called this “the sensitive dependence on initial data.” Fortunately, later on Lorenz used a simpler term—“the butterfly effect.” In 1972, Lorenz presented a scientific paper entitled “Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?” According to Lorenz’s theory, the butterfly’s wing flapping doesn’t actually cause a tornado, but it can start a chain reaction leading to giant changes in worldwide weather patterns. In other words, even tiny, insignificant movements or actions can produce huge changes that affect millions of people.^a

The Bible often describes a similar “butterfly effect” for the spiritual life. According to Jesus, the spiritual butterfly effect occurs when we do acts of service. We know of nothing else that can cultivate intimacy for a couple more than reaching out to the world as a team—even in small ways. Doing good for others as a couple creates a surprisingly powerful effect on your marriage. It helps you transcend yourselves and become part of something larger.

God is committed to one major objective: helping us conform to the image of his Son (see Philippians 2:5-11). And his Son, Scripture says, “came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45). It is as straightforward as that. God wants us to be a giving people. Philippians 2:4 says, “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” Galatians 5:13 says, “Serve one another in love.”

Marriage is a great means to becoming more like Christ. Paul says to “motivate one another to acts of love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). Marriage helps us do that, and when we join our efforts in service together, we are doubly blessed.

There are literally hundreds of ways to incorporate shared service into your marriage—offering hospitality in your home, volunteering at a shelter, sponsoring a needy child, working in the church nursery. The key is to find something that fits your personal style together. And when you do, your marriage will create a butterfly effect of service.

The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.

—Billy Graham

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From the book