The Power of Influence

I believe in the power of The Influence that an individual persons life has to influence other people over the course of their lifetime and beyond.

In the Classic Holiday film “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE’ Clarence the Angel says to George Bailey, “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives …’when he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

It all has to do with how we fill the spaces of our lives. Spaces: A period of time, a particular area or cavity within a body. A container. Time, from now until the day I die. Our Containers are, work places, church, any where else we live and breath.

Positively or negatively in The space of a lifetime, the space of our days, the space of our neighborhoods, the space of our family’s and acquaintances.

Question, do we cower in fear,and throw away our lives when things are not going right for us? Or do we step up, and reach out, and help some one else ? With a kind word, With a helping hand, or personal involvement in some ones life. All based on our belief about the the worth of the individual. I’m referring to something in addition to what we call ‘random acts of kindness’.  This involves doing something for a stranger or at least someone not necessarily acquainted with you.  It means doing something to help or reaching out to meet a need, however small, or just being a blessing on a short term basis.  And thus making a difference in the grand scheme of things over time.

In this context, I believe in the influence of a present person’s life to influence, teach, and touch, and to guide others. There are so many lives that a person comes in contact with over the course of living in our spaces, in our daily lives.

Filling our space as an instrument of Gods Love, unconditionally. And putting others first in all things. In so doing our lives can truly make a difference in the lives of others. If there is one that can be reached as a result of something I did, no matter how small, then it will ALL be worth it in the end.

In the closing portion of our film, Clarence the angel makes this statement, “You’ve been given a great gift, George: A chance to see what the world would be like without you. You see George, you’ve really had a wonderful life. Don’t you see what a mistake it would be to just throw it away?”

I close with this thought From General William Booth of The Salvation Army:

Lord, let me live from day to day, in such a self forgetful way, that even when I kneel to pray, My prayer shall be for others. Others oh yes others: let this my motto be, Help me to live for others, that I may live like thee!

That I may live like Thee.