“Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed.” (Luke 22:54-60 NIV)
Lasting impressions: the impression we give others about ourselves, last for a long time. The impression we make can be either good or bad. But one way or the other, we leave an impression. In our opening verse, we see where Peter had made an impression on some who had seen Him as being with Christ. Being seen with Christ or better yet, letting the Christ in you be seen, is a very good impression. That is of course if you don’t negate your good impression; if you don’t cancel it out, by behaving like Peter, who denied Jesus. Such a denial is not a good impression.
Like you, probably, possibly, I have been like Peter in my past, and I have made some bad impressions by not revealing by my choices my changed character, consistent with that of the Christ who dwells in me. We need to be transparent! None of are perfect and sometime our failings, fail to make a good lasting impression. There is such a thing as “lasting impressions.” Thank God that He gives us new chances to live right and leave good impressions! That’s true, even today.
Now I am not perfect, but on Labor Day, I ran into a couple of people I had made a good impression on in the past. One was a former high school student who was enrolled in a summer pre-engineering program that I headed up at a local university in the late 70’s, and now has young adult children of her own. My former student came up to me and extended her hand for a handshake like she had just seen me the day before. It had been decades, but she was smiling and expressed she was glad to see me. I think I must have made a good impression on her decades ago. There is such a thing as “lasting impressions,”
On the very same day while picking up ingredients to make a dinner salad, I passed a lady and her two children a couple of times on various aisles. To me it was just a mother taking her kids shopping. I “somehow” ventured into the home décor aisle located several feet from the aisles that had what I needed. I crossed paths with the lady and her children again. This time she said, “I keep trying to recall where I have seen you.” She was far too young to have even been one of my former students. So, I went to be go-to response, the best one I could come up with quickly and I said, “Church?”
She indicated, “Yes! My children came to your church for a winter VBS a few years ago.” I know. VBS is usually in the summer, but we offered a Winter VBS that would allow parents in the community some hours on Saturday to do Christmas shopping without having to take their children with them. I could tell from the lady’s smiling face that the church, including me had left her with a good impression. There is such a thing as “lasting impressions.”
One last story on the subject of lasting impressions. A young elementary student, a pupil whose intellectual maturity was higher than his chronological maturity, was a latch key kid as early as the third grade. Upon coming home one warm day, he noted that the walkway adjacent to the townhouse where he lived had a fresh coat of concrete.
Stardom must have been used as the weapon of choice by our adversary or this young student must have thought he was on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You see, he put a footprint, not a handprint, and he wrote a message with his little fingers, indicating that he had been there. He signed his name; last name included and in a perfect writing form. Better than I ever could write. Sounding biblical, let me say, “And it is still there until this day.” Yes, it I still there right next to the townhouse that is remains standing some 30 plus years later. Let me repeat the theme that characterizes all three of my examples. There is such a thing as a lasting impression.
Remember that theme! Remember that fact, as you go out today! With determination, go out and leave some great impressions all day long! By your actions and your words, by your love for others, and by your responsibility to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, leave some great impressions, positive impressions, lasting impressions. There is such a thing as a lasting impression.
Furthermore, right or wrong, know that in regard to human behavior, it does not take a lot of time to make an impression. See the quote below. It will keep you on your toes, or as one famous singer would say, “on your good foot!” Be blessed!
“I usually make up my mind about a man in ten seconds, and I very rarely change it.” (Lady Margaret Thatcher)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King