Influence Comes When You Realize You Have It Already
The word influence means something straightforward; the action of shaping how another person thinks, feels, or develops. This also relates to how events play out, but the primary focus is on how we affect others.
In our modern era, influencer has become a catchall term for people who might make a living purely from amassing a considerable number of followers on social media.
From a biblical standpoint, influence isn’t solely based on numbers, how many likes something gets, or how much “clout” someone has.
Jesus Christ often chose the lowly of the world. In fact, most of His disciples were illiterate, blue-collar types. In those days, following a rabbi was seen as a great honor, and I’m sure Matthew and the others were quite speechless when a learned man asked them to follow Him.
From their station, with a little influence upon the world coming from occupations such as fishermen, they likely didn’t grasp why this teacher had selected them above someone like a learned scriptural scholar.
But that’s not how our God sees people.
We aren’t defined by what job we have, the number of followers we have, or how popular we are in social circles in everyday life.
Why wouldn’t an infinite God choose to use the least of us? With God, all things are possible.
Perhaps these men had an ardent desire to learn the Law and the Prophets, and God fulfilled their wishes by choosing them to follow the Savior. Something I’ve noticed about God is that He gives us the things we really want if we only ask Him. Choosing to walk with Him means that our life is never going to stay the same as it was.
You get what you ask for. You might call it manifesting something into existence, attracting what you want, or whatever it may be. I call it God giving us our hearts’ desires.
I'm only speculating, of course, but I suspect God saw a deeper need in the lives of those men and He granted them that deep, inner desire.
In a religious society like ancient Israel, even under Roman rule, to be a part of learning the Torah and the rest of the writings from a teacher like Jesus was immeasurably honorable.
It’s the definition of leaving all behind and following Him. They lived it.
But notice He chose people the world considered average, normal.
One person of any station can have a massive impact.
Luke was a physician, so far more learned than others, but for the most part, the rest of the disciples weren’t anything that stood out among the society in which they lived.
Bringing this idea back to today, it’s tempting to look at our numbers and go: “Wow, I’m not making a difference in anything I’m doing. I only have X number of followers. This person has X followers, and they get tons of likes.”
Does it matter, though? If you even affect one person, isn’t that worth it? Your one thing can influence one other person who then might go on to influence thousands, or even millions.
There’re kindred spirits out there who think much like you do. Perhaps you haven’t found your people yet.
My point is, someone out there needs the influence you have. Whether that’s the 50 followers in your path or 50,000.
I don’t put limits on what God can do in our lives, or the lives of others. Heaven knows how to bring the right people in your trajectory and it sure is far more efficient than anything we could come up with on our own.
If our worth isn’t wrapped up in how much “pull” we have over others, then we’re doing all right. Our worth as people comes from knowing ourselves to the point we can accept our flaws and mistakes for what they are, as well as all the good parts of ourselves.
Don't get your identity wrapped up in how small your impact might feel. It's not a flaw, it's the start of something good.
Sometimes, we must sit back and tell ourselves we are worthy of having healthy viewpoints, that we aren’t these massive screwups that can’t get anything right. We all have days where we’re thinking: “What the heck am I doing? Who is going to read this stuff?”
Or even: “I’m nothing. What difference can little old me make?”
The truth is far more positive than it appears on the surface.
Our worth cannot be tied to our internet presence, or our positions in life. Those things can always morph into larger swathes in our spheres further down the road.
We should never despise the days of small beginnings.
All the people in the world who have a massive influence on others were once where you are. They didn’t get to that point in one night. It took many years of sacrifice and in-depth work ethics that most people don’t have. There must be a healthy balance, though, because work ethics can develop over time and with practice. Some days we don’t feel like we can put 100% in. Other days we put over 100% in. It’s important to grow and take things at a steady pace.
If we work hard, develop our gifts over time, and remember that even affecting one person’s life is still a massive influence, we’ll get to where we need to be.
There are things I want more than anything in the world. But I won’t get there without understanding that I have my own sphere of influence even now. The right doors and expansion will come in time.
All you need to do is tell yourself: “Please be patient while I sort this out. The things I want will come. Just give me some time. We all need a little more time.”
And time is a benevolent thing in this universe as much as it brings aging and decay. With time, our local sphere can become a global sphere.
It’s all about perspective and having patience.
Let God mold you as you are now. He doesn’t love you any less if you don’t realize you have some influence in the current moment.
Think about that.
You have it right now. That person you want to be doesn’t need thousands of followers to make a positive impact on others.
Keep at it and don’t give up. The disciples were the least in men’s eyes, but they became some of the most famous people in history by humbly following their Creator’s will.
He knows who we are and what we are capable of even before we do.
That influence will come when you realize you have enough influence already.
