The Tamarisk Series: Part III.5

"Stephanie what are you going to do that's going to impact the generations you'll never meet?"

If you're anything like me, that question flabbergasts you. Because let's face it, impact is a heavy thing to tackle. We are constantly leaving an impact on people, both good and bad, and I can't guarantee that the impact I leave is always going to be the one I intend. So what can I do that will leave the impact I intend for the generations?

Well, impact is a big thing to try and chew, and I think impact is more often than not something that happens as a result of what you do rather than something you actually do, and it's also a big thing to try and pass off to someone else. It's hard to give and it's hard to hold. So let's break it down and think smaller. If we cut down impact to a manageable size I think it'll look a lot more like the verb "to bless."

Now think. Think on the people who have blessed your life, be it through word or deed. There are people who instantly come to mind for me. And when I look at my life and who I was before that moment of impact where their blessing collided with my life, I was different from then on out. Their blessings changed me; their blessings made me want to align my will to soak in their character- to take on those attributes that led them to bless me. It was a natural, almost subconscious, shift. We want to be like those people who've blessed us. And by becoming like them we take on a part of their legacy through our generation, make it our own, and pass it on.

One such example: A beautiful 12-string guitar was given to me over 2 years ago by a woman I greatly respect. The guitar belonged to her. I had heard her affectionately describe its beauty and rich sound on several occasions. Her reason for giving it to me was that she wanted to bless me. Never before had I received such a gift from someone outside my family. I was so impacted by her blessing that it changed me. It seriously altered the way I would look at the things I posses and it ruined, for the better, the way I would give. That guitar has encouraged me on countless occasions. It has enhanced, shaped, and changed my music, and it has served as one of my greatest tools for blessing those I meet. Any person who has ever been blessed by my music, has also been blessed by this woman. Her story goes with the guitar, her generosity goes with the music. Anytime someone compliments or remarks on the guitar, I share with them the story of the woman who blessed me with it and so her legacy of generosity continues through my life. That guitar will never be sold for any profit, if/when it ever leaves my care it will be given in the same measure that it was received and so it will go on down the line.

Impact is intangible. Blessings are not only within our grasp, but inside our pockets, around our home, in our mouth, and beyond the Wardrobe. They can be found in a moment or built in a lifetime.

What I'm trying to say is that blessings are generational. They are generational by nature. If we want to impact the generations we'll never meet try and bless those you will meet in this generation. It really is that simple. And what an empowering simplicity it is.

If this blog series can do anything for you, let it do this: Create a new habit. Start something now that you'll continue for years to come. Maybe it's that you start giving away guitars, I don't know, you decide. I know for me one of the habits that I have decided to start and continue in is to plant a fruit or citrus tree wherever I live for however long I live there; something to bless people after I've moved on. But that's just me. You do you.

Want to be generational? Be a blessing.