Impact. What does impact really mean? I came across a video of Simon Sinek where he asked that question. Are you making an impact? Or do you feel like your life is just a drop in the ocean?
There were times when…
…I have been bogged down so much by the feeling that I’m not contributing as much as I feel I could and want. I know I have so much to learn and I am impatient to get to that point when I feel like I know at least enough to be able to be effective, to give what’s needed, to foresee and help bring us there.
…I feel like I’m too new and young, but also I’m old enough and should know more. I am not good at mental math. I am not good at geography. I am not good at current trends. I am not good with names and faces. A lot of foreign actors look so the same to me that I get confused who’s who in movies. I am a very slow reader.
…I thought that impact was measured by the number of blog visitors, book buyers, social media followers. So when ideas spark (which I get a lot of!) I’d jump in without too much thought and create a social media business profile only to close them down when the the following didn’t come.
…I was so pressured I’m not doing a good job as a mom because I’m not doing montessori, I’m not homeschooling, I’m not this and that. The pressure was depressing at the time that my only use for social media was to post but never to read or interact.
…I felt I wasn’t making an impact and so I jump from one idea to another, hoping to find that lucky break. Parang lotto addiction na pala, na sana yung oras ko naigugol sa pag seek kay God kaysa jumping here and there seeking on my own.
Embracing Me
Most of those were 2019 “there were times” moments. So you see, those were not at all far back in the past. As 2019 ended, one of the lessons God was teaching me was, well, for me to embrace me. I basically just needed to be secure with who God made me to be and be faithful where He placed me. I wrote this in my annual birthday post for 2019:
Be secure in who you are. It is in being secure with who I am that I have thrived, have peace, and continue to grow.
So what is impact? For me, it’s the effect of pursuing God and His plans for my life. I am not to strive for impact but to strive for faithfulness. Impact is not the end. Faithfulness is the means and faithfulness is the end. He will take care of what impact He wants my life to make, however He designed my life to be. The impact of my life and what I do is on Him. Faithfulness is what’s on me.
What are the talents He has given you? Use them. Grow them. Do you think you have little to offer? Just be faithful with the little you think you have.
Me at Work. I have embraced that in my work, the fact is that I don’t have the technical background nor prior experience for most of what I do. But knowing that the Lord placed me where I am, this allows me to never get stuck with that fact. The truth is, there is so much space for God’s grace and I am always amazed by how He moves, even through my lack of expertise. Don’t get me wrong. I embrace me, but I also work hard to learn. As one of my first mentors in the organization taught me, “Grace. Work. Grace.”
Me at Home. I have embraced that during this season, and even as far ahead as I can think of at the moment, I’ll continue to be a working mom. This is part of who I feel led by God to be. The grace of God is abundant to both have a full-time job and be a full-time wife and mom. There is grace not just for me, but also for my husband and son. Things work out and things fall into place.
Press On
Wherever the Lord placed you, press on. That is the place of grace, and that is the place of blessing, not just for you, but also for your family.
He is the one who placed you there and so He is the one who will give you the strategies, ideas, and even the grace to make things happen. The Lord who called is the same Lord who will guide and equip. Just ask God for wisdom—He freely gives it.
If any of you lacks wisdom,
you should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to you.
James 1:5 NIV.
Where God has led you to be is where you will see things make sense, eventually if not now, and where you do not need to strive for impact or reach or whatever metrics you count. It is where the impact He already determined you to have will be the one to run after you, yet it is also where the joy of simply being where God wants you to be is more than enough.
I’m currently reading this book authored by a dear friend’s husband. If you want a deep dive into the topic of identity, get this book. If not about how you view yourself, you’ll certainly be grounded on how you view others. Hoping to tell you more about it after I finish the book
