A while back, I wrote a blog entry about how God uses us to touch the lives of others (Touching Lives). Although I felt that I was done with that particular blog entry, I felt like God wanted me to do more. After some reflection and prayer, now I will develop that concept a little bit more. Before going further, please take a moment to read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 and Matthew 28:18-20. There are many other passages that are applicable, but these are the two that I will use.
Has anyone come up to you and said that you are their hero? Or, that you have been an inspiration to them in some part of their life? That has happened to me on quite a few occasions. And, some of them have caught me by complete surprise.
While growing up, I was often reminded by my Dad, a Presbyterian Pastor, that the younger kids are watching me. Not just that, but that I will be a role-model to them with how to act and talk. Because of this, I need to be ‘more mindful’ of what I did and how I said things. I don’t think I really took this to heart until I was a senior in high school in Kentucky.
During my senior year, a group of seniors went around and took pictures and videos of other seniors. These pictures and videos would be put together for the seniors as part of a graduation gift from the school. Of course, there were specific rules that we had to abide by. What was neat was that they asked the students different questions in order to make it more personal. A few weeks before graduation, we got to watch the video. I will never forget it! One of the guys was asked on the video, “So tell us… Who is your hero.” His immediate response was that I was his hero! I just remember sitting there stunned, that someone would think of me as their inspiration. Honestly, I can't remember why I was his hero. Since the interview was only a few minutes long, I doubt he probably elaborated.
Over the years, I have been blessed on many other occasions where I have inspired others. For me, hearing how I have been a blessing to others is God’s way of encouraging me. He also reminds me of how He often uses me without me perceiving it. Even in small things, God has shown me how that He has touched others through what I say and do.
Another example… For those that don't know me, I am not a fast runner. For most of my military career, I have struggled with passing my 2 miles run within the allowed time. While I was Active Duty at FT Bragg, a friend of mine was the coach for the unit’s 10 Run Team. This was for the up-coming All American Week (think intramural sports being played by a whole base). He invited me to be on his team. Most of the other guys in my company questioned his logic in doing so. Since we had at least 8 runners and only the first 5 who finished would be counted, I was there more for the benefit of training with them. And, my friend inspired me to do my best by training with me. I know that it was often hard for him to run at my slower pace. But, he was that serious about me being on the team and personally helped me to improve.
As I trained, I shared with friends and family that I was participating on the 10 Mile Run Team. This was something I did on a regular basis, sharing important things in my life with those who are important to me. A few months later, while I was on vacation, I visited a good friend of mine from seminary and his family. At the time, he was pastoring a church in Kansas. While I was hanging out with him and ‘shooting the breeze,’ he told me that I had inspired him to start running and to get back into shape. At that point, he had lost several pounds, was dealing with stress better, and many other things. He also shared that, because I was several years older and took up the challenge to push myself in something I struggled to do well, what excuse did he have?
It is the same thing with my family. As a father of two kids, I often see them imitating the things that I do. At times that makes me proud, because they are mimicking the good things that I do. Other times, watching what they do makes me cringe. Through their actions and words, I realize how many times they see me making mistakes. It’s an important reminder to me, no matter what they are doing, to make sure that I am being the best role-model for them. Quite honestly, how my kids act is a daily reminder that they are closely watching how my wife and I deal with life.
Lets think about this a bit. How many people do you interact with on a daily basis? If you go to school, you have your classmates and teachers or professors. If you work, you have co-workers and supervisors. There are also various friends and family members that each of us interacts with regularly. Lets face it… We come into contact with many different people while we are out shopping, commuting to and from work or school, etc. Though we may not always be an inspiration to someone that we briefly interact with, that is not always the case.
I could be out with my family at a restaurant and, because someone is having a bad day, they decide to direct their anger towards me. In this case, lets say that I was able to use my ministerial skills to deescalate the situation. As we talked, I showed him that I cared by listening to what he was saying and that I acknowledged how it made him feel. In response, instead of taking his anger out on me or someone else, he is able to get a better perspective on things.
However, unknown to me there is a person who grew up without good parenting or role-models. All he or she knew growing up is how to react to things, especially with anger. Now the person sees how I used my verbal skills to help someone who was very upset to take a step back and gain a better perspective. This could be the inspiration that he or she needs to seek help in making positive changes in his or her life.
We all need to remember that others are watching what we say and do. It is so very easy to walk around, living life our own way, and not think about how we are impacting others. But yet, we always are influencing others with how we talk, how we act, our mannerism, etc. As followers of Christ, we are all His ambassadors to this world. (2 Corinthians 5:20) It is not something we can choose to do or not to do. If we claim to be a follower of Christ, we are, in fact, His ambassador.
Paul writes in his second Epistle to the churches in Corinth concerning many things. In this particular chapter, he talks specifically about being reconciled to Christ (born again as some define it). That is, trusting Christ as one’s Lord and Savior. In doing so, we become an adopted member of God’s family through Christ’s death and resurrection. But, being a member of the Body of Christ doesn’t just end with our adoption. As a follower of Christ, we now represent Him to those around us. Paul exhorts us, therefore, to be positive role-models or ambassadors for Christ to those around us. Not that we will get it right all the time. But, by God’s grace, we can learn and grow. And, as we learn and grow, we can more positively impact those around us.
We impact the lives of those around us, whether we know it or not. In fact, we can be a source of inspiration to others. There are many competing voices for peoples’ loyalty and devotion. On a daily basis, children are enticed to join gangs so that they can have a ‘family.’ On a daily basis terrorist groups try to persuade those who are angry about life to join their cause. On a daily basis, there are people who have corrupt morals that seek to encourage others to follow their examples. Let us seek God’s help to also be a voice to others. Let us seek God’s help in being positive influence in people’s lives. Not just that, let us ask God to change us in such was as we inspire others to follow Him. And not just follow Him, but seek to be obedient to Him in thought, word and deed. If prayerfully do that on a day-to-day basis, imagine the kind of impact God could have on the lives of those around us!
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