Influence

It is 5 am and here I am sitting with my lap top on my lap, writing this blog.  What in the world am I doing up at 5, I ask myself.  But it started about an hour and a half ago, when I woke up with a scratchy throat. So I got up to get some water.  And so here I am thinking through some things and wondering what kind of an impact do we really make as we go through life.  Right now in my life I am meeting a lot of people from a lot of different walks, and I am wondering what kind of message am I leaving with them.  I remember reading from John Maxwell, that Leadership is Influence.

I met a man a few years ago who has become a good friend and through our friendship he has started attending church.  He was away a few weeks ago and got back home on a Saturday and called me and said I am looking forward to going to church tomorrow.  Just being a friend has influenced him back into church.

I am doing a memorial service Monday for a Brother who passed away a week or so ago.  He ended up the last 2 months of his life in a dreary, depressing hospital an hour and a half away. His wife made the trip almost every day to be with him.  I also made the trip several times to see them and pray.  He couldn’t speak, was on a ventilator and had a stroke.  The last time I was there I took his hand and prayed and he tightly held my hand.  His wife sent me an email yesterday thanking me for being there for them and thanking me for being willing to do the Memorial Service. 

The last few months have not been easy.  A lot of struggles, personal, business, health, emotional.  But hey, who isn’t having some struggles right now.  But I have been so caught up dealing with my stuff, I have not given a lot of thought about being an influence.  But sitting here this morning it dawned on me.  Being an influence should be a natural outgrowth of living right. 

So the rambling lesson today is just live right, love people, and influence someone today to be a better person as they deal with the struggles of their life.