Influence
I have definitely been under the influence of others over the years. I have had some great mentors and teachers dating back to when I was just a kid. I remember some of my Sunday School teachers. I remember some of the Preachers at the little church I grew up in. I remember some of the conversations from my parents and grandparents. I even remember some of the instructions and teachings of my teachers in school. So many of them have gone on before me, but their influence and the teaching of their lives still remains alive in me today.
I came across a passage of scripture speaking about influence. John, “the disciple Jesus loved” writes to a good friend and gives encouragement and inspiration to his young friend as well as me. Check this out….
2 Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit. 3 Some of the traveling teachers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth. 4 I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. (3 John 1:2-4 NLT)
Influence is powerful and can be life changing. Influence can impact others for generations to come. I’m sitting here in 2021 being influenced by John, a disciple of Jesus and a simple letter that he penned to his friend several hundred years earlier.
I was a student pastor (aka youth minister) for just over 20 years. There was a lot of fun along the way. I have taught and invested in the lives of young people and their families over those years. It is an absolute joy to hear from them occasionally and hear of their faith journey. I’m thankful to have played some small part of their journey with the Lord. I have had the privilege of seeing them grow up as parents.
I have now been a REALTOR for over 18 years, and I’ve had the privilege of serving hundreds of families in their sale or purchase of real estate. It is a joy to serve others to help them in their journey of life. I am often helping them with their single biggest financial asset. I enjoy seeing them take a house and make it a home. I enjoy seeing them move through stages in life where they need a larger home because their family is expanding. I also love helping others downsize their home because at this stage of life, they need less house to care for.
I am humbled and thankful to have the opportunity to serve and influence others. I want others to see Jesus in the way I serve them personally and professionally. I want to have a positive influence on others that comes from my faithfulness to the Lord. I am praying for my influence of faithfulness to carry on long after I’m gone from this earth. I want to be faithful to the Lord until I breathe my last breath – whenever that is. I want to walk out my faith as I walk into eternity.
Pressing On!
Dwayne