Your impact matters
4/22 – You have an unseen impact. Don’t Stop

5:112 – You have an unseen impact. Don’t stop.

#faithbites #faithjourney impact

Intro

The other day we were watching 9-1-1. The episode had several conversations where the firefighters and EMTs wondered about the people they saved. Did they survive? Did their work have any long-term impact? At the beginning of the episode, one of the firefighters somehow caught a woman falling out of the building and brought her to safety. Later in the episode, a teenager had a stop sign in his chest and they rushed him to the hospital where he needed a trauma surgeon. Who was the surgeon? The woman they saved who fell out of the building. That is impact.

Our impact is great even if we never see it. As teachers, we prepare students for the world but may not see what they do. As Christians, our every action has the potential to greatly impact someone for the good or the bad. If we follow Jesus and love all, that impact and that life can be dramatically different because we acted. We will never know that our actions changed their direction, but it is meaningful.

Questions
  • Are you looking for outward acknowledgment of your impact on others?
  • How do you know what you are doing is good?
  • How can get that affirmation even if we don’t see the impact?
Scripture
  • Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
  • 1 Peter 2:12 – Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Reflection

Today has been a day where I’ve seen my impact. I made suggestions to my supervisor about leadership opportunities for me and he said several leadership team members have had the same suggestions about me. Then a dear friend told me how impactful #faithbites is on him and never to stop writing them. I can go months between hearing that my work is helpful and impactful. While it is nice to hear, my faith tells me it’s happening every day.

As we close, remember, that we are the salt of the Earth. Jesus tells us to go out and make an impact. Let’s not hide our talents and gifts because we aren’t sure if they are impacting others. We know it is. We may never know from others, but God tells us that the impact is immeasurable.

Prayer

Father God, we come to you in thanks. Thank you for giving us the gifts and talents to dramatically improve the world around us. There are times when we don’t know if what we are doing is helpful though we hope it is. We put our faith in you as you made us and know what work is good. Let us be filled with knowing that we are serving you and making an impact on those around us. Lord, we love you and pray that all of our work is impactful, meaningful, and accepting to you. In your name, Amen.

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