A Good Lasting Impression

Yesterday a concrete footpath was poured by contractors near our house, and I was left shaking my head when I went to inspect the work.  Someone decided they would be the first to walk on the finished concrete before it was dry and left permanent impressions of their footsteps.  I wondered if the person who walked on the concrete realised it was still wet, and intentionally marring the finish was a twisted way to have fun.  Possibly the person was clueless about the concrete underfoot because of enjoyment of a funny podcast, an engaging conversation or the shock of hearing bad news.  As long as that concrete remains, the wandering footprints will always provoke questions about what that person was thinking--or if he or she was thinking at all.

I noticed other, more predictable markings on the fresh concrete:  names scrawled in the surface with the date.  I suspect these are the names of the neighbourhood kids who were hanging around the area after the work was finished.  There is no doubt in my mind those names were etched intentionally, for no one writes letters and numbers in the corner of wet concrete accidentally.  As I surveyed the labour of pouring the footpath outside my door, there are three distinct groups that made their own distinct impressions:  the workers who finished the concrete, the aimless wanderer, and the graffiti artists.  Intentionally or not, all these people made a permanent impression on the concrete that will last the lifetime of the concrete.

This observation led me to consider the impact the lives of human beings can have on one another, whether at work, play or just walking along.  Our brains indiscriminately remember things people said or did that impacted us.  We may have had one conversation with people or we might have not ever learned their names, but they managed to impact our life in some way.  Think of the fantastic and sobering opportunity God has given everyone to make a permanent impression on others for good, to make a lasting, positive mark on others as we live to glorify Jesus Christ.  Showing kindness, being generous, and continuing to love others as we pass through this life is a great blessing God has granted to His children.  At the same time, it is confronting the damage we can do without even knowing it.  We have passed by others with a carefree spring in our step and didn't realise we wounded them, and we would regret our actions if we only knew.

I don't want to have an "Oh well!" attitude about accidently trampling the hard work of others, caring only about what I'm doing or going.  I want my words and actions to be a stamp of grace and love that guides others to know Jesus Christ as Saviour.  Jesus is the enduring legacy of every Christian, and our lives are an opportunity for Him to make a positive, lasting impact on others.  It is a small thing for me to be famous or be remembered well, but how great it is that through our brief, obscure lives that the name of Jesus should be known and proclaimed.  We have a message of love and salvation that will outlive our lives on earth, and may the LORD Jesus use us to make a good lasting impression on others for His glory as we are passing through.