Hammer on Anvil '

Influence: the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others. (dictionary.com)

There are so many avenues to explore on the topic of influence: social media, cultural, religious, family, environmental, political, etc. Today I would like for us to take an introspective look at influence.

It’s a simple question, “What kind of Influence are you?”

My knee-jerk, immediate response: a bad one. (I’m a helpless pessimist)

Whether I am good or bad is not the exactly the question. Because the truth is I am both. We all are at some point thanks to our insatiable sinful nature that wages war within us. The point is that you ARE an influence. Our opinions, convictions, faith and behavior are impressed on those we encounter each and every day.

Who are the people we influence?

Co-workers, students, stranger in the grocery, valet attendant, waitress, blog readers, friend, family, the lost…

Um…anyone else getting uncomfortable here?

Those who barely know me know that I am opinionated and feisty. I want to tell you all about the health benefits I’ve experienced from a 30-day cleanse, or how I think Stormie Omartian is full of hooey and probably from another planet as her name clearly implies, or how imperative it is to be a conscious consumer by refusing to buy that Hershey’s, Mars, Nestle, Ghirardelli, Lindt, Dove slave chocolate or any other non-fair trade item (coffee, bananas), or that your excuse for most anything is—in essence—just laziness. These are all things I feel passionate about sharing with others so that they too will be compelled to question the status quo.

What about Jesus?

Am I passionate about sharing my Jesus with others? Do my words and my actions honor God? (Psalm 19:14) I truly pray they do. Now I don’t mean that I want others to perceive a phony righteousness that I’ve spray painted on to impress. I mean that I pray to live so transparently that my many flaws and need for a Savior are so evident it leads someone to Jesus. People need to know that there are Christians who don't just want others to think they are perfect and glow-in-the-dark. People need to encounter Christians who aren't just looking down their nose at them and shaking a judgmental finger. People need to experience the compassion and mercy of our Jesus by the way Christians treat their neighbors. People  need to know that we are all the same...we sin, we hurt, we worry, and we fear. People need to know the only difference between the storms in their life and those of a Christian is that through it all, we have the hope of salvation.  People need Jesus.

Lord, let me not hide away my struggles that I might boost my own image. Let my battle scars be visible and all my failures public…that the eyes looking into my life see only the beauty of a redeeming Savior.

1 Peter 2:11-12 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

In case I am ever in doubt of how my life looks to others, I need look no further than into the eyes of my almost 4yr old son (aka Turtle). When I am short-tempered, rigid and prideful…so is he. When I am uninterested, unengaged, and self-centered… so is he. When I am self-conscious, depressed and doubtful…so is he. When I cuss…so does he!

Yet…

When my eyes are on Jesus…so are his. When my heart bleeds with compassion for the least…so does his. When I dance and sing praises to the Lord in abandon…so does he. When I open my pocketbook, my home, and my life to those in need…so does he.

I have influence. It is a powerful thing. A tool I must surrender to Jesus every day because, in my hands, it can be an instrument of corruption. I am thankful to God for those who influence me positively by living their life for Jesus. They shape me. They shape my son.

A few nights ago I gave Turtle the 82¢ change I had in my pocket because he is really into putting money into the piggy bank. His father asked him if he was going to put that money into his piggy bank or the Jesus bank. He joyfully replied, "In the Jesus bank," followed by the most precious song and dance. He reminded me of a young David...surely a boy after God's own heart. What an impression Jesus, my life, my husband, and our Jesus-loving church have made on this little guy.