For those of us at PTM, whether volunteers or staff, we’re here because we want to have an impact on our corner of the world. We want to make a difference. Unlike the impact of a car collision, though, the impact made on a life is not often immediately visible.

It is easy for me to question whether what I’m doing really matters—especially in moments where I feel I’ve said the wrong thing or I’m just not getting through to a student or things aren’t going according to plan. It’s easy to doubt my abilities, doubt my effectiveness, and most of all, doubt my presence.

As Mark Batterson writes in his book on prayer, “We want our prayers answered immediately, if not sooner. But the key to dreaming big and praying hard is thinking long. Instead of thinking in terms of time, we must think in terms of eternity…I have to remind myself of God’s power, which knows no space-time limitations.”

I am stuck living within the confines of both space and time. What I can see is limited by those two things. Yet when I let my vision collide with the power of God—who knows exactly when and how the seeds that have been planted will bear fruit—then I experience a powerful change. I am able to think beyond what I see now and trust confidently that what I do matters. That is the beginning of real impact.