What does it mean to strive for "impact"?

Impact.

This is a word that holds a lot of meaning for me. When I as growing up and in college and graduate school, I was told to strive for change on a broad, wide scale. We must not put Band-aids on problems; rather, we must aim to implement large, effective, lasting solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.

In many ways these messages are wonderful. But they can often lead (at least for me) to action laced with ego.

In contrast, the Christian message provides a very different roadmap for inner and outer change. Henri Nouwen, the Catholic priest and author wrote, “Real training for service asks for a hard and often painful process of self-emptying.”

He goes on to say that the idea of self-emptying love is “very hard to accept in our contemporary world, which tells us about the importance of power and influence” (from Reaching Out, p. 108).

Yes, as a relatively recent Christian convert, the juxtaposition of these expectations – what the ‘contemporary’ world tells me and what the spiritual life invites me into – has been shocking and, at times, jarring.

So how do I orient myself to "take refuge" (as my Buddhist husband would say) in a version of "impact" based on a deeper, wider understanding of self-emptying service and love?

This is the journey of a lifetime, and I reflect again on the image that shaped the direction of my first book, Following the Red Bird.

Just like Lucy in the woods in Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, we keep our eyes up, watching for the red bird just ahead of on the path. Watching if and where he will hop forward onto the next branch, guiding us on the next, right step. And Lucy saw the red bird advancing, she said, “Do you know…I really believe he means us to follow him.”

That's our job. To watch. To listen. And then to take the next step forward.