My youth pastor always told our youth group to always leave a place looking better than it was when you first came. In the moment, I was always annoyed. I would rather pack up my things and leave, but being the rule follower I am, I helped clean anyways.
His point in telling us to leave a place looking better than it was when you first came was not to get us to clean up our mess, but to teach us a lesson.
The way we leave a place we have stayed reflects on our church and reflects on Christ. Think about how grateful the workers felt when we cleaned the cabin and rooms we stayed in for the trips we went on. It showed them that we care that they let us stay there. It showed respect for the property and the people who work there.
I still apply this lesson to my life today, almost to a point where I don't even realize it. I start tidying up a place that I stayed after I packed my things. Some of my friends who weren't in my youth group stare at me, wondering why I am cleaning up when the people who work there can do it. If I am able to lift any burden from others, I will, especially if it is my mess.
It's amazing how the impact we leave behind can have a direct correlation on our character. When you leave a place, people will only remember a few things about you. It all depends how you have left it.
With that being said, how are you going to leave Milledgeville behind? Your dorm? Your apartment? The house you're currently living in? Are you going to leave these places behind better than they were when you first came? In some way, you will leave an impact. It all depends on what you do in the time before you leave.
In the words of my youth pastor I suggest you "leave a place better than it was before."