The Simplicity of Impact, Part One
* I wrote this blog post in August 2023 and have been waiting and seeking the Lord to give me the green light on when to share it. There is so much that can be covered on this topic and I plan to continue to walk through it more by releasing “The Simplicity of Impact, Part Two” some point this year. So, stay tuned for that and know that this blog post you’re about to read has been deeply rooted in prayer and I can’t wait for the more God has planned for this. -Emma Brown
In the busyness of the camp season, worship is always a time of peace. Whether on my knees crying out to the Lord or going crazy while people are crowd surfing in the front, I always feel at peace. There was a time recently when I was standing in the back of the camp sanctuary and a younger girl came to visit that night, someone who I was previously able to get to know and love. She followed me around the whole worship time and while I was just sitting in the Lord’s presence, with my hands raised high, I looked down and saw this younger girl watching me. I would move my hands as I worshiped and she would do the exact same. She followed my every move. Later on, I moved to a different spot in the back so I could have more space and before I knew it, there she was, standing right next to me, worshiping Jesus.
It was in that very moment that I realized how much of an influence I can have on someone’s life. How just by me being obedient to the Lord in worship, someone can see that modeled and do it in a similar way.
If I haven’t already shared this in a previous blog, my word for 2023 is impact. While praying for this word, the Gen-Z side of me was excited because I thought that it meant I would gain all of these Instagram followers, start making reels about my walk with the Lord, and begin to receive DM’s about how my testimony made a difference to countless people. Truthfully, when I received this word in January, I had no idea what God really had planned. Your guess would have been as good as mine.
Overtime, I have seen this very common question asked: “What impact do you want to make in this world?” When I first heard God speak the word “impact” my mind immediately went there… “Okay, God but how will I impact this world.”
I went to the Hollywood version of what God could do instead of realizing that my impact could simply be, having a young girl watch how I worship Jesus. Hearing that six months ago, I probably would have been disappointed because let’s be real, we all just want the most followers and to be the most popular. Why? Because we feel like we have achieved it, that we have fulfilled our desire to make a difference.
Here’s the truth though, that’s all a lie. You will never be fulfilled if all you are reaching is more views or followers. The number you have in your mind that you want to reach will always become bigger.
I’m not saying that people who spread Jesus on social media are bad. In fact, I strongly believe we, as a generation, need to do a better job in making social media less about us and more about Jesus. Should it replace the Church, community, or Jesus? Not at all. It should be used to push us closer to Him rather than farther away from Him.
I am reminded of the Scripture that provides us the capability to have impact in the first place, Matthew 28:18-20. This piece of well-known Scripture reads, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you to the very end of the age.”
We ALL have a desire to influence this world, in some way, shape or form. Our influence should hold action in it though, that of fulfilling the Great Commission.
We ALL have the ability to make an impact in this world and to further the kingdom of God.
It can be a lot of things, you may be sitting at the front desk of the YMCA saying “Hello, how are you today?” just as I am or you could be on a stage preaching to hundreds of people.
You could be a stay-at-home parent, teaching your children the love of Jesus or you could be a parent working full-time who takes any chance you can to get your kids to church on Sunday.
You could be teaching a Bible study or be sitting right next to a person who has never heard the story of Jesus.
Whatever season of life this blog post meets you in, we all have the opportunity to live a life with eternal impact. It is not limited to a big stage, it can be merely standing in the back of a sanctuary, just worshiping Jesus with your whole heart.
Kingdom impact is something that takes a surrendered heart and a readiness for the Holy Spirit to move. Before we move on to part two of this, I want to challenge you in these five areas:
Lay it down at His feet. Whatever it may be, just surrender to Him.
Be intentional with your relationship with Jesus and your relationships with others.
Spend time in His presence and soak in all He is trying to reveal to you.
Be expectant for God to give you moments to make a kingdom impact.
Give Him all the glory and thank Him constantly whether an opportunity arises or not.
Impact will not always look like you want it to. In certain seasons, it will come as a lot and in other seasons it will seem like very little. Whatever you do, don’t lose heart because God has a plan for you and wants to do something amazing with your surrendered and ready heart. Just remember the simplicity of impact we have compared to the fullness of God. We get to simply impact others and show them the fullness that Jesus is.
