If you had to think back on your life and come up with a list of the most impactful things that you have ever done in your life, what might that list look like?
Was it giving birth to your child? Making a critical decision at work? Deciding to go to college? Hopefully, we can look back on our lives and see decisions that we made, or actions that we took, that had a lasting and positive impact. When we think about what has been most impactful, our minds are naturally guided to those milestone moments where the impact was most definitely felt in our own lives.
However, our perspective has some blind spots. Specifically, our measure of impact tends to be based upon the effects that we can see and are aware of. It is very difficult for us to always know how we have impacted other people.
Not too long ago, I attended a funeral of a man who had been a long-time coach in a small community. A significant portion of the attendees had been impacted by his coaching efforts over the years, being molded into better human beings by teaching that extended beyond athletic techniques and into sportsmanship and integrity. I have no doubt that this man knew that he was making an impact on those he had coached. After all, coaching is a serious commitment that automatically places a person in regular contact with someone who is expecting to learn from their coach. But could he have expected to have such a significant impact on his athletes?
Most people aren’t coaches or teachers, or in some position where people are regularly expecting wisdom or guidance from you. Yet what we need to realize is that every time that we interact with someone, we have an opportunity to have an impact on their life. There are countless, seemingly insignificant encounters with people that can have a lasting effect that we will never be aware of. Your kind words in a casual conversation may have been exactly the thing that turned a day around for someone who was wondering if it was worth living to see another sunrise. Your generous tip after a meal may have helped someone pay a bill that they were struggling to handle. Your willingness to stand up and speak up against someone who was being abusive may have stopped a pattern of violence before it resulted in hospitalization or incarceration.
It may seem silly to think that small actions such as these could possibly be among the most impactful acts in our lives, but kindness, generosity and courage are contagious. These are simple acts that inspire others, particularly in times where they seem to be in very short supply. These actions, at just the right moment in someone’s life, can have just as significant an impact as any other event ever will for them. Yet if they flow out of your natural character, you may never be aware that you just made an enormous difference in the life of a complete stranger. Every interaction that you have with someone creates an impact. May you decide to live your life in such a way that others are blessed by being around you.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron.
Pastor’s Perspective in a small community June 30, 2022
If you had to think back on your life and come up with a list of the most impactful things that you have ever done in your life, what might that list look like?
Was it giving birth to your child? Making a critical decision at work? Deciding to go to college? Hopefully, we can look back on our lives and see decisions that we made, or actions that we took, that had a lasting and positive impact. When we think about what has been most impactful, our minds are naturally guided to those milestone moments where the impact was most definitely felt in our own lives.
However, our perspective has some blind spots. Specifically, our measure of impact tends to be based upon the effects that we can see and are aware of. It is very difficult for us to always know how we have impacted other people.
Not too long ago, I attended a funeral of a man who had been a long-time coach in a small community. A significant portion of the attendees had been impacted by his coaching efforts over the years, being molded into better human beings by teaching that extended beyond athletic techniques and into sportsmanship and integrity. I have no doubt that this man knew that he was making an impact on those he had coached. After all, coaching is a serious commitment that automatically places a person in regular contact with someone who is expecting to learn from their coach. But could he have expected to have such a significant impact on his athletes?
Most people aren’t coaches or teachers, or in some position where people are regularly expecting wisdom or guidance from you. Yet what we need to realize is that every time that we interact with someone, we have an opportunity to have an impact on their life. There are countless, seemingly insignificant encounters with people that can have a lasting effect that we will never be aware of. Your kind words in a casual conversation may have been exactly the thing that turned a day around for someone who was wondering if it was worth living to see another sunrise. Your generous tip after a meal may have helped someone pay a bill that they were struggling to handle. Your willingness to stand up and speak up against someone who was being abusive may have stopped a pattern of violence before it resulted in hospitalization or incarceration.
It may seem silly to think that small actions such as these could possibly be among the most impactful acts in our lives, but kindness, generosity and courage are contagious. These are simple acts that inspire others, particularly in times where they seem to be in very short supply. These actions, at just the right moment in someone’s life, can have just as significant an impact as any other event ever will for them. Yet if they flow out of your natural character, you may never be aware that you just made an enormous difference in the life of a complete stranger. Every interaction that you have with someone creates an impact. May you decide to live your life in such a way that others are blessed by being around you.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron.