I is for Impact by Carol Harrison

 

I is for Impact

The driver of the large old model car ran the red light and pieces of my car scattered over three lanes of traffic on impact. Even though this happened years ago and no one was injured in the accident except my car, the memory remains. The physical impact also impacted my emotions and left me reliving the moment for awhile after.

As I thought about I is for impact and its obvious memory of an accident with one vehicle slamming into another, we impact the people in our sphere of influence every day with our words, attitudes, and actions. Our impact in their lives can be positive or negative but it’s there.

The words we write, whether a short piece or novel, poetry or devotional, reach beyond our immediate circle of influence. We may never know the impact our words have on a reader. They may be intrigued to read more of our writing. What we write might instruct someone else, inform others, inspire them, or allow their imaginations to take flight and land them in another time or place.

I know reading has always left an impact on me from the time I first learned to read. I loved to escape and live vicariously through the adventures of others. I even enjoyed reading the encyclopedia set to increase my knowledge. I guess some would have called me a nerd or whatever slang term was in fashion at the time.

There have been times when life is difficult or illness keeps me from reading anything too deep. Studying is out of the question when my asthma flares up. Yet I have picked up a light Christian fiction and seen truths portrayed through the characters' lives. I’ve taken a look through their eyes at the world around and found myself having those ‘ah ha’ moments. Have you experienced that as well?

Sometimes looking at life through a character’s eyes brings new insights into our own lives. We are given a moment to apply what we learn to our own situations. As I contemplated how I is for impact, I was reminded of the responsibility we have with our words, whether spoken or written. We need to write the truth even in our made-up stories or other worlds we imagine and bring to life. Once words are out there, we can’t take them back.

At camp I’ve used the illustration of a tube of toothpaste. It’s easy and quick to squeeze out the contents but getting someone to try and stuff the paste back into the tube is an impossible task. So it is with our words. We speak them and they encourage others or knock them down. We can apologize for pain they inflict but the memory remains. Our written words remain for many to read. What they say will impact them in one way or another.

May our prayer be that of the psalmist in Psalm 19:14

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.”

 

Carol Harrison writes from Saskatoon, SK. She wants to encourage others to look for those glimmers of hope and glimpses of joy in all the circumstances of life.