Leaving a Mark

8 Jun

If you walk through the woods in an area where nobody has been in a long time, the trail may be undisturbed. Once you step on it, it will be changed because you were there. Your footsteps will leave a mark. The leaves will shift a bit, and the dirt will hold the imprint of your feet. There will be evidence of your presence. That evidence will remain undisturbed until someone new steps over your prints, but even then, they will not completely eradicate your impression. It will remain. Even though it may be altered, your presence will still be evident.

As we go through our lives, we are taking footsteps at each turn. And everything we do, everyone we see, every decision we make leaves an imprint – a mark that remains after we’re gone. It is impossible to live on earth and not make an impression. We cannot escape it. We are not invisible or weightless. We are here, tangible and interacting. Whatever we do changes things. Good or bad, we will leave a mark.

It’s important, therefore, that we take some time to think about the impact we are making. Are we a positive influence? Are we doing things that make the world better? Are we leaving the imprints of a life full of good choices? Or are we destroying the path with anger and strife? Are we churning up the dirt with disharmony and conflict? If we’re doing negative things, we may try to use others to cover our tracks, to hide where we’ve been, or what we’ve done. That may work for a while, but eventually, the marks we leave will return to us. After all, they were made by our footsteps – our choices – and there is no way to change that.

Our days are filled with decisions. Choices that will bring happiness or sorrow, goodness or grief, success or failure. Sometimes its easy to see what results our choices will bring, but other times it’s harder to discern, so it’s important to ponder before we choose. Easy or difficult, our choices are ours to make. We can choose to do whatever we want, for any reason we like. But we must remember in every choice, that we are leaving an imprint. We are leaving our mark, and we own the results of each choice.

Today, before you decide, remember that you will leave your mark behind. Choose carefully so the impressions you leave are exactly where you want them to be, and say exactly what you want them to say. Today, before you decide, take a moment to reflect. Your footprints are yours to make. But after you take that step, it will last forever. It will last forever. Your decisions are the evidence that you were here. You’re going to leave a mark. Make it a good one.