By Michelle Taylor

“To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” (Newton’s Third Law) This principle reminds us that the energy we put out into the world doesn’t disappear—it comes back, often from unexpected directions. If we constantly project negativity, it will find its way back to us through people, circumstances, or experiences. My husband often reminds our children of the “Golden Rule”: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” The question is—how do we take that wisdom and apply it in a way that brings real benefit into our lives?

When we trust in the Law of Cause and Effect, we begin to understand that our thoughts, emotions, and actions are never isolated. They ripple outward and eventually return. My son used to have a habit of saying, “I always get hurt,” whenever he fell or got injured. That belief shaped his reality—he got hurt a lot. I began gently challenging that thought, pointing out moments when he didn’t get hurt: “See? You don’t always get hurt.” Over time, his thinking shifted. Now he says, “I hardly get hurt anymore.” The energy of his thoughts changed, and life responded.

Years ago, we felt prompted for my husband to leave a good job, even though we had no backup plan. We knew the experience would teach us something—we just didn’t know how much. Money got tight. Extremely tight. At one point, we had only $20 left to our name. One of our daughters needed new church shoes; she had been wearing tennis shoes for weeks. As we walked into the store to buy her a pair, I noticed a family with very little in their cart. They looked like they were struggling—just like us. But unlike us, they didn’t have food storage to fall back on.

As we passed them, I felt a strong prompting to give them our last $20. I hesitated, afraid I might offend them, and kept walking. I asked my husband what he thought. He said, “Do whatever you feel prompted to do.” So I began looking for the family again, hoping I hadn’t missed my chance. I felt led to the front of the store. There they were—just about to leave. The whole time, I wondered what I would say. But when I approached the husband, the words came clearly: I handed him the $20 and said, “God wanted him to know that He was watching over his family and taking care of them.” He said thank you. I walked away, filled with peace and confidence that everything would be okay—that the same God watching over them was watching over me too.

A few weeks later, at a meeting, a man approached us and handed us a check for $4,000.

“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:35–40)

Sometimes the return is visible and direct—person to person. Other times, God handles it in His own way. But there is always an effect to every cause. It’s a law. I wasn’t helping that family expecting anything in return—I was simply following a prompting. And God responded in a way that overwhelmed us with His grace.

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