A Window of Impact

“Today’s my last day ever!” my young friend G told me as he got on the bus. It was indeed the last day of school, but his proclamation made me realize that it was also his last day in my after school program. Cue one pull of the heart strings.

When we had a spare moment, he came over to me and gave me a hug. He leaned his head on my chest and held onto me longer than I expected. When he stepped away, he looked up at me with watery eyes. My heart strings strained at the sight.

I wrapped him in my arms again, my own eyes stinging and whispered “I love you buddy. I’m going to miss you and I’ll be praying for you.”

I gave him a squeeze while a specific memory floated through my brain.

Four years ago, I walked into the church to observe their summer camp program. I had just walked in when G was making his way down the stairs. He had happy brown eyes and struggled to carry his bag which was as big as him. He walked by me, not even aware of my presence, but I couldn’t help think how adorable he was. Little did we know I would watch him grow every day for the next four years.

It was such a full circle moment for me, and as G walked away from my program, I was reminded of an important truth: your time for impact is just a window, and you don’t know when it’ll close.

Kids flow in and out of my program like waves on the shore. With each child, I’m given a temporary amount of time to be a light in their life, and I don’t know how long it’ll last. I’ve had children stay one day in the program while I’ve seen others grow throughout their elementary years. It’s not until my time with them is up that I realize my time with them was temporary to begin with.

Remembering that allows me to treasure every school and summer camp season as it brings with them yet another wave of old and new faces. It makes me strive to add value to as many of their lives as I can, hoping they’ll carry not only good memories, but also an impact that will last for eternity.

And when I think in light of that eternity for these young souls, my window of impact becomes that much greater, and one I hope I will never let go to waste.

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I work as an after school and summer camp director for nearly 100 kids. They teach me a lot about myself, life, and the heart of God, and I hope you enjoy as I share some of my experiences with them.