If I said the name Millard Fillmore, would anyone come to mind?

If you’ve studied US presidents at all, you might recognize the name as the 13th president of the United States of America. Though I admit, I have done a fair amount of presidential research and if I heard this name with no context I might not know who it was.

Why do I bring this up? Simply to understand how little of a known impact we have on future generations. If I, someone who has studied the presidents a fair amount, barely even know the name of this president, my guess is that the majority of people my age don’t know his name at all.

This was a man who was alive less than 150 years ago. A man who was president of one of the most powerful countries in the world and most people now don’t even know his name, let alone anything about what he did.

It’s a humbling thought knowing how little of an impact you’ll have on future generations.

But wait, is our impact really that small?

Notice earlier I said a “known” impact. What I mean by this is an impact that is clear for all to see. People like Brett Farve, Lady Gaga, Donald Trump. These people have had impacts on the world that are clear for all to see.

But there’s another kind of impact that’s a bit more subtle.

If you ever watch any kind of time travel movie, there’s normally something about not interacting with your previous self because the smallest change in history could result in a totally different outcome from what got you to that point. An understanding of the impact every decision and choice has.

Edward Kimball.

How many people know that name? Probably very, very few people alive today.

A little history:

Edward Kimball helped lead Dwight L. Moody to Christ. Moody played a pivotal role in the conversion of J. Wilbur Chapman. He then had interactions to lead Billy Sunday to Christ which in turn led to the conversion of Mordecai Ham.

In 1934, Mordecai Ham was conducting a meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the end of this meeting, two young men came up to the front. One dedicating his life to Christ. This young man would end up becoming one of the most well know evangelists of the 20th century.

His name was Billy Graham.

Edward Kimball’s life may have seemed small and inconsequential, but perhaps this one interaction with another person completely altered the future for 10s of thousands of people.

In 150 years, no one will probably remember my name. But thankfully my name isn’t the biggest impact I can use to help others. Whether my name is known or not shouldn’t matter in making my decisions.

Make an impact on eternal things, not on worldly things. Worldly things will pass away, eternal things will…well…you get the point.

“There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit” ~ Ronald Reagan