Something that everyone keeps asking me is “What is one thing that you have learned on this race?” I’m sure if you have read my blogs there seems to be theme that keeps repeating or at least to me it seems that way. Impact. In my blog “Footprints” I talked about learning about impact in Indonesia and India and then in “Digging for Jesus” I talked about learning about impact in Kazakhstan. The question is why does this keep coming up? Am I not learning it or am I being taught more about it as I go? The reason I feel like it keeps coming up is because it has to do with the past. The brief version is that someone in a leadership role that I was close too told me that a ministry I was a part of and assisting in was a waste of time, I wasn’t learning from it or helping it, and I needed to do “their” ministry. I took that very hard and I wanted nothing to do with them from that point on. Even though I knew that they were wrong the words still lingered in my mind. I built up grudge and hated them. it wasn’t until this year that I truly forgave them. We are all humans, we aren’t perfect, and we make mistakes but by grace we are forgiven so we must forgive others and show them grace. But those words “Waste of time” have never left my mind. There were so many cases where I thought it doesn’t matter, what can one person do? What can I change? Does it matter what I do, I’m not leaving an impact, I’m useless. All of those were lies the devil was trying to whisper in my ear in order to stop me because he knows the impact that we can have and will have, and he is afraid. The truth is I’m NOT useless. The truth is we all can change and impact someone’s life. When it comes to saving someone’s life you not wasting time.
The impact that you leave on every person you meet can save their life. 1st Corinthians 15:58 says “Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord you labor is not in vain.” You see the work you do witnessing and leading others on the right path, planting seeds whether the accept Jesus right there or not, is not in vain. Even if you feel like that you don’t make a difference if you trust in God and have faith and you are living a life according to the word then you are making a difference. Don’t measure the impact of what you do based on what you see because God knows the future and he knows what is going to come to pass.
One of the easiest ways to leave an impact that people tend to overlook is prayer. People seem to forget how powerful prayer is. Someone asked me if you spent a month sitting on the floor of a van and all you could do is pray would it be worth it? There is a song by Tauren Wells called “When We Pray”, and in the song it says
“All the world starts changing When the church starts praying Strongholds start to break Oh, when we pray Prison walls start shaking At the sound of praising Nothing stays the same Oh, when we pray”
I don’t think I could say it any better. I have seen people healed and lives changed because of prayer. You need to plow the field before you can plant the seeds and not just throw them, for the seeds will not grow and bare fruit. So Yes, if all I did was pray for a month over a country, that month would be just as fruitful as any other month.
I want to leave you with a just a couple things Roman 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer,” and don’t worry about the impact you are going to have only focus on doing what God asks of you and your legacy will last forever.
