Impact of a Life, Part One
Every life matters. Even a small act can make a huge impact on another person, sometimes even changing the entire trajectory of their life. And while it’s so encouraging when we get to glimpse how God is using us, more often than not we are unaware of what is really going on. I believe when we get to heaven and can really see what God has been doing, we will be blown away at how much our lives have impacted those around us.
A great example of how one life can unknowingly influence another is the story of 1970 Nobel Laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s conversion to faith:
In the mid-20th century, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was confined to a Soviet prison camp in Kazakhstan. While there, he became ill and was sent to the camp infirmary where he encountered a fellow prisoner, Dr. Boris Nikolayevich Kornfeld. Solzhenitsyn in his The Gulag Archipelago (1973) described this interaction:
“Following an operation, I am lying in the surgical ward of a camp hospital. I cannot move. I am hot and feverish, but nonetheless my thoughts do not dissolve into delirium, and I am grateful to Dr. Boris Nikolayevich Kornfeld, who is sitting beside my cot and talking to me all evening. The light has been turned out, so it will not hurt my eyes. There is no one else in the ward.
“Fervently he tells me the long story of his conversion from Judaism to Christianity. I am astonished at the conviction of the new convert, at the ardor of his words.
“We know each other very slightly, and he was not the one responsible for my treatment, but there was simply no one here with whom he could share his feelings…
“I was wakened in the morning by running about and tramping in the corridor; the orderlies were carrying Kornfeld’s body to the operating room. He had been dealt eight blows on the skull with a plasterer’s mallet while he slept. He died on the operating table, without regaining consciousness.
“And so it happened that Kornfeld’s prophetic words were his last words on earth, and those words lay upon me as an inheritance. You cannot brush off that kind of inheritance by shrugging your shoulders.”
Because of Kornfeld’s words, Solzhenitsyn became a believer. He survived the prison camp and went on to become a gifted writer and one of the most influential believers in his day, speaking out boldly against the Soviet Union and Communism, and the Russian prison system. In 1970 Solzhenitsyn was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
One evening of conversation changed the trajectory of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s life.
Paul said “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” It wasn’t until Dr. Kornfeld got to heaven that he could see what a difference his life had made. And the same is true for us.
We may not be in a prison camp, or in danger of being beaten to death, but sometimes we can feel bewildered and uncertain of what God is doing–like we are flying blind. Paul’s words encourage us when those tough times come to just keep on going. Keep on loving others in your own unique way. You may not be able to see what God is doing, but you can rest assured that He is at work. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NASB)
And never forget that just like Kornfeld you won’t be able to grasp what your life has meant to others until you get to heaven.
What’s your story? Has someone made a difference in your life? Have you seen God use you to bless someone else? We’d love to hear from you!
Don’t miss the other posts in this series:
Part Two: The Impact of an Attitude
Part Three: The Impact of Saying Thank You
Great story! We are here to glorIfy God. We are created to serve others.i will nEver forget the first time i heard the song” Thank you For giving to the Lord I Am a life that was changed” the words of that song touched my heart. I thought do i show Jesus to Everyone i meet? I dont believe it was just by chance. God has a plan!
Always good to remember!!
I had an employee that was struggling and dealing with problems with her kids, a husband in very poor health and a negative outlook on life. We talked frequently and I told her about the love of God. I gave her a few books ENCOURAGED her to read the bible and to connect with a bible believing church. It was An unwritten company policy that you do not discuss religion, but I felt it better to obey God rather than men. She was moved from my team, but still kept coming back to me for mentorship and spiritual guidance. HEr daughter started RUNNING with the wrong crowd and got arrested for drugs and prostitution. When she was released from Jail she brought her directly from the jail to me. I spent time with her counseling her and trying to help her get her head on straight. She told me that her daughter said I was more help THAn the rehabilitation counselors. Bad things happened to my former employee. Her husband died. I stood up for her when they wanted to force her to come back in the midst of grief. She eventually came back and I continued to share God’s love with her. Then the day came. She called me because her daughter shot herself. She reached out to me even before the ambulance got there. That was a surprise to me. I prayed with her and hated the helpless feeling she and I both had. I went to the funeral which was difficult for me because it was at the same place I had been with a family member who had died untimely. Her funeral was in The same place that I was standing a mere 4 weeks later. She didn’t say it to me but she told one of the other supervisors that she wanted to kill herself and the thing that stopped her from doing that was me. I didn’t think that what I did was that significant. It helped to save a life! She suffers from severe depression because she was unable to save her daughter and blames herself. I reach out to her at least a few times Aevery week, even though I rarely hear back from her. Her mother has reached out me and said I’m still making a difference. She thanks me for what I DID.i just did what I think God wanted me to do. I am currently chronically ill and she did message me and say she’s praying for me. It’s all about obeying God and leaving the consequences to Him. You’ll never know your full impact on this side of eternity.
Blessed to be a blessing
Thank you for sharing. You are so right. We just have to do what we feel God is calling us to do and leave it all to Him.
I so appreciated this blog. Sometimes we live in our little time bubbles and forget that there is a whole history full of people that have gone before us, impacting others and changing the trajectory of lives behind them.
Thank you! It is easy to forget how much we impact each other. Your response is an example of that. It encourages me to keep blogging and sharing stories. So thanks for sharing. It means a lot.