Influence – Week One

Who are you influencing?

It is not uncommon for us to underestimate the impact our life has – for good or bad. The words we say, the steps we take, how we interact, and our choices have a reverberating effect on the people around us.

I wonder, who is in your circle of influence today? And what are you doing with the opportunities God has placed in your hands?

A few months ago, I was deeply challenged at a memorial service for my friend Linda. When the pastor opened the floor for sharing, person after person spoke about how Linda influenced their lives. She pointed them to Jesus, encouraged them, and helped them grow in their faith.

I would best describe Linda as a spiritual mother. Though she was not the type of person to draw attention to herself, she was steady in her love for God. For over 20 years, I witnessed her growing faith and heart of gratitude for God’s goodness.

When I was a teenager, Linda invited me into her life and practically walked alongside me, teaching me what it looks like to follow Jesus. The summer before starting college, I spent a month with her and her husband in Trinidad, where they pastored a church. Each day, I saw how they lived and ministered. Each evening, we shared laughter, conversation, and learning.

Years later, Linda served as the receptionist at the non-profit where I worked. Consistently she offered and asked for prayer, revealing a simple and firm belief that God works on behalf of His people. In hard times and happy times, she would declare, “Glory!” proclaiming God’s goodness in her life. In her last days, Linda’s mind began to slip, but she never stopped praising God. Those who cared for her were witnesses to her gentleness and kindness to the end.

Sitting in her service, I reflected on the power of one life lived for God’s glory. Linda’s life changed me and impacted the woman I am today. And I am just one of many.

I wonder – what impact will I have over the next 20 years? What will people say about me? What difference will my words and actions have?

In Psalm 71, the psalmist reflects on the span of his life. Like Linda, he took refuge in God and walked with Him for decades. Listen to his description, “O God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still declare Your wondrous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.” Psalm 71:17-18 NASB

A follower of God declares the goodness of God. They make a difference in those around them. They change their generation and the impact generations to come.

Linda’s faith was not loud and flashy but solid and steady. That’s the kind of faith I want – a trust in God that withstands the trials and doesn’t look back, a life that points to His goodness, not my greatness.

What about you? How do you want to be known? What influence do you want to have? And what will you do about it today?