Back to You: What Goes Around Comes Around in ChristBACK TO YOU: WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND IN CHRIST

Let’s talk about something that’s been burning in my heart lately. You know that phrase “what goes around comes around”? Most people think of it as karma or cosmic justice—you do something bad, eventually bad finds its way back to you. But I want to flip the script today because in Christ, this principle isn’t about payback—it’s about purpose. It’s not about the universe settling scores; it’s about God’s divine economy where nothing is wasted, where every action creates ripples that eventually find their way back to your shore. This isn’t some impersonal force at work; it’s the intentional design of a God who created a world where actions have consequences, where generosity creates abundance, and where love multiplies when it’s given away.

Think about this: when you throw a stone into a still lake, those ripples expand outward, touching everything in their path. But physics tells us something fascinating—when those ripples hit the shore, they don’t just stop; they reflect back. They return to the source. Your words, your actions, your intentions—they’re all stones thrown into the waters of humanity. And Christ promises us that they will all find their way back to us. “Give, and it will be given to you… For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Jesus wasn’t threatening us; He was revealing how reality actually works. He was inviting us into the profound truth that we don’t just affect the world around us—we help create it. And the world we create eventually becomes the world we inhabit. This isn’t mystical; it’s magnificently practical. The culture you contribute to at your workplace, in your friend group, in your family—that becomes the environment that shapes you in return.

I was talking with this college student last week who was struggling with feeling insignificant. She said, “I want to make an impact, but I’m just one person. What difference can I really make?” And I looked at her and said, “You have no idea how powerful one life surrendered to Christ can be.” You see, we’re not called to change the entire world—we’re called to create ripples in our corner of it. Those ripples connect with other ripples, and suddenly there’s a current of transformation that’s bigger than anything we could create alone. That’s the kingdom economy! Your small acts of courage, kindness, and conviction create momentum that eventually circles back to you. Think about the early church—just a handful of ordinary people who decided to live differently, to embody a radical love that contradicted the values of their culture. They didn’t have platforms or influence by worldly standards. But their faithfulness created ripples that have circled the globe for two thousand years and have now reached you. And now you get to continue that ripple effect.

But let’s get real for a second. Some of you are afraid of this principle because you know you’ve sent some toxic ripples into the world. You’ve hurt people. You’ve lived selfishly. You’ve spoken words that cut like knives. And now you’re terrified that those same ripples are heading back toward you. Can I tell you something beautiful about Christ? His cross interrupts the natural flow of cause and effect. His grace creates a new reality where repentance can transform returning ripples of judgment into waves of mercy. That’s not karma—that’s redemption! That’s the scandal of grace that sets Christianity apart from every other spiritual system. The blood of Jesus doesn’t just erase our sins; it transforms their consequences. It doesn’t remove the ripples we’ve created, but it changes their nature when they return to us. This is why Paul could say that God works all things—even our mistakes and failures—for the good of those who love Him. Not because God causes evil, but because He’s in the business of redemption.

Have you ever noticed how the people who are most alive, most filled with purpose, are the ones who give themselves away? There’s this divine paradox where the more you pour out, the more filled up you become. I have never—and I mean never—met someone who regretted being too generous, too forgiving, too compassionate, or too loving. But I’ve met countless people who wish they had given more of themselves away. The things you clutch tightly—your time, your resources, your heart—those are exactly the things that will slip through your fingers. But what you release with open hands somehow finds its way back to you multiplied. Look at the most joyful people you know. I guarantee they’re not the ones hoarding their lives; they’re the ones giving their lives away. Joy isn’t found in accumulation; it’s found in contribution. And when you become a source of joy for others, that joy inevitably circles back to nourish your own soul.

College is this critical season where you’re establishing patterns that will echo throughout your life. You’re making decisions about what kind of ripples you want to create. Will you live for instant gratification or eternal impact? Will you use people or serve them? Will you build your own kingdom or contribute to God’s? These aren’t small questions, friends. They’re the difference between a life that leaves a legacy and one that leaves a void. And here’s the mind-blowing truth: the impact you have on others during these formative years will circle back to shape who you become decades from now. I’ve seen it happen over and over. The students who use these years to indulge themselves end up empty. But those who use these years to develop their character, to serve others, to wrestle with big questions, to build authentic community—they’re the ones who look back with deep satisfaction. They’re the ones who find that the seeds they planted in college have grown into forests of purpose and meaning that shelter them through life’s harshest seasons.

Think about relationships for a second. We’ve all been in those toxic friendships or dating situations where it feels like one person is doing all the giving and the other is doing all the taking. That’s not how God designed connection to work! Healthy relationships have this beautiful rhythm of mutual giving, mutual vulnerability, mutual respect. And when you consistently show up for others with authenticity and love, it creates a culture around you where people naturally want to do the same. Your relational patterns create an ecosystem that eventually becomes the air you breathe. What kind of atmosphere are you creating? Are you known as someone who drains energy from a room or someone who infuses it with life? Are you building relationships based on what others can do for you, or based on the unique image of God you see in them? These questions matter because the relational culture you create now is forming patterns that will follow you throughout your life.

Here’s where it gets really interesting: in God’s economy, even our suffering can create ripples that return as healing. The apostle Paul calls it “the fellowship of sharing in Christ’s sufferings.” When you go through pain and allow Christ to redeem it rather than becoming bitter, you develop a capacity to comfort others with the same comfort you’ve received. And mysteriously, when you step into someone else’s pain with the perspective your own suffering has given you, your own wounds continue to heal. Your scars become proof to others that healing is possible, and their hope becomes gift back to you. It’s this beautiful circle of redemption that can only be explained by a God who specializes in bringing life from death. I’ve watched people transform their deepest trauma into their most powerful ministry. I’ve seen how the very things that could have destroyed them became the channels through which God’s healing flowed to others. And in that mysterious exchange, their own healing deepened. Their pain wasn’t wasted; it was transformed into purpose.

We’re so obsessed with platforms and influence these days. Everyone wants to go viral, to have a million followers, to be seen. But Jesus taught that real influence doesn’t work that way. He said the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that starts tiny but eventually provides shelter for many. He talked about yeast that works invisibly but transforms everything it touches. Your faithfulness in small things creates ripples of influence that extend far beyond what your eyes can see. And one day, perhaps years from now, the fruit of that faithfulness will circle back to you in ways that will leave you in awe of God’s intricate design. I’ve talked with so many people in their forties and fifties who are stunned by how God used small acts of obedience from their youth to create pathways they’re now walking on. The small group they started in college that’s now a thriving church. The friend they invested in who’s now changing lives across the world. The skill they developed in obscurity that’s now opening doors they never imagined. Faithfulness creates ripples that eventually return as legacy.

I’ve seen this play out in my own life so many times. There have been seasons where I poured myself out for others and felt like it was all one-way giving. Seasons where I questioned if anything I was doing mattered. But God has this incredible way of bringing things full circle. People I invested in years ago have shown up at critical moments to speak life into me. Seeds I planted in obscurity suddenly blossomed in ways I never expected. Doors opened because of relationships I had built when there was nothing in it for me. Not because of some impersonal cosmic law, but because God’s economy operates on principles of multiplication and reciprocity. There was a time in my twenties when I mentored this guy who was really struggling. I spent countless hours with him, praying with him, helping him find his way. Years later, when I was going through the darkest season of my life, he was the one person who showed up consistently, who knew exactly what to say, who wouldn’t let me give up. The investment had come full circle in a way I could never have orchestrated.

The beautiful thing about this circle of giving and receiving is that it breaks us out of the scarcity mindset that dominates our culture. We start to realize that we don’t have to hoard opportunities, resources, or recognition because whatever we need will find its way back to us through the community we’ve helped create. When we celebrate others’ successes instead of competing with them, when we open doors for others instead of guarding them, we’re participating in Christ’s abundant kingdom where there’s more than enough for everyone. The ripples of abundance you create will eventually transform the ecosystem you live in. I’ve seen this happen in creative communities, in businesses, in churches—when people start operating from abundance rather than scarcity, the whole culture shifts. Collaboration replaces competition. Generosity replaces guardedness. And suddenly there’s an explosion of creativity and opportunity that benefits everyone involved. You become part of a virtuous cycle where giving and receiving flow naturally, where your success contributes to others and their success circles back to enrich you.

This principle of “back to you” shows up throughout Scripture. Think about how Jesus talks about forgiveness—“forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Not as some sort of transaction, but as a recognition that the capacity to receive forgiveness is directly tied to our willingness to extend it. When we withhold forgiveness from others, we create a dam that blocks the flow of grace in our own lives. But when we release others from their debts to us, we create channels through which God’s forgiveness can flow freely into our own hearts. The same is true with judgment. Jesus warned, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” He wasn’t saying we should never discern between right and wrong. He was revealing the profound truth that the standards we apply to others are the ones that will be applied to us. The grace we extend to others’ weaknesses is the grace we’ll receive for our own. The mercy we show to others in their failings is the mercy we’ll experience in ours. This isn’t God being petty; it’s God being consistent with the principles He’s woven into the fabric of reality.

Think about the parable of the unmerciful servant—the man who was forgiven an enormous debt but then refused to forgive someone who owed him far less. What happened? The forgiveness he had received was revoked. Not because God’s forgiveness is conditional, but because the man’s refusal to extend forgiveness revealed that he had never truly received it in the first place. He hadn’t let it transform his heart. This is the essence of what Jesus is teaching us about this spiritual circle: what comes back to us isn’t just the direct consequence of our actions; it’s the revelation of our heart’s true condition. When we live with open hands—giving freely, forgiving readily, loving extravagantly—we create a heart capable of receiving the same. But when we live with clenched fists—hoarding, withholding, keeping score—we create a heart that’s incapable of receiving the very things we’re desperate for.

Here’s another dimension of this principle: the words we speak create atmospheres that we eventually inhabit. Proverbs tells us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Your words aren’t just expressions of your thoughts; they’re creative forces that shape reality. When you speak words of encouragement, hope, truth, and life over others, you’re not just affecting them—you’re creating an atmosphere around yourself that will eventually influence how others speak to you. I’ve watched people who consistently speak criticism, cynicism, and judgment create toxic environments where they eventually find themselves isolated and attacked. And I’ve watched people who consistently speak grace, affirmation, and truth create life-giving environments where they find themselves surrounded by others who speak the same into their lives. The words you release today are creating the conversations you’ll be part of tomorrow.

So as we close today, I want to challenge you with this thought: what ripples are you creating right now? Are they ripples of criticism or encouragement? Ripples of self-protection or vulnerability? Ripples of consumption or contribution? Because I promise you this—they will all find their way back to you. Not as some form of cosmic karma, but as the natural fruit of the seeds you’re planting. In Christ, we’re freed from the crushing weight of trying to earn favor and freed for the joy of participating in a divine circle of giving and receiving. So throw your stones of love, justice, mercy, and hope into the waters of this world with abandon. And then watch in wonder as they find their way back to you, multiplied by the mysterious grace of a God who is always, always making all things new. Remember, you’re not just passing through this world—you’re helping create it. And the world you help create is the one you’ll eventually inhabit. So create boldly. Create lovingly. Create in alignment with the kingdom of God. Because what goes around truly does come around, not as karma, but as the gracious design of a God who has set up reality to reward those who embody the self-giving love of Christ Himself.

Pastor Mitchell Royel