Impression vs. Impact

The like button. This is the thing that people crave constantly. Not the like button itself, but just the idea of having approval and affirmation. There was a running joke among my friends about this. Whenever someone seemed like they were begging for attention, one person would say:
"I AM AFFIRMING YOU!"

Not to put down encouragement and affirmation (so, so important in relationships), but people (including yours truly) sure do spend a lot of time making good impressions.

I've been thinking a lot about this recently. It especially hit hard after I read a chapter in a book about the life of Amy Carmichael. She's one of my heroes. Missionary to India and founder of an orphanage/school for children rescued from sex slavery. This idea of making good impressions crossed her mind too.

Around the time she was seventeen, she filled up her life doing a lot of ministry-type things. She was struck with some Bible verses one day that challenged her to really examine her life: "Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble--every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be declared by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." (1 Corinthians 3:12-14)

What in the world does that even mean?

Well... it just means that everyone's making something out of their lives. Whether it's meaningful or not will be left for God to decide.

Amy had a hard time figuring out if she was just making herself busy with things that seemed great and godly or if she really was doing things that made an impact.

Something told her all this activity might amount to nothing more than a heap of wood, hay, and stubble unless she began living a holy life, a life that would help others. She was full of misgivings. The list of her activities must surely have seemed an impressive one to those who looked on, but to the girl herself they were nothing. 

I put the book down and started talking to Jesus. I begged Him to make my life something made out of gold. The things I'm doing in my life right now... am I just making impressions? I'm confident I'm in the right place doing what God wants me to do, but I can't be confident in my own ability and talents to make an impact. I need Jesus to help me or else I'm destined to simply leave a temporary, pleasant taste in people's palates.

I'm deciding today that the last thing I want to do in my life is make good impressions.