The Power of Influence
Influence means having an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something. There are two kinds of influence in the world, that which is good and that which is bad.
Think about those in your life that have had or still have an influence on you. You may be thinking of individuals like your mom, dad, sister, brother, grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, friends, church leaders, and neighbors - just to name a few.
The people you associate with most end up being those you emulate. Think of who that is for you. What kind of people are you surrounding yourself with? Are these people of good influence? Do they bring out the best in you?
To you parents out there... I believe that you have the greatest impact and influence on a child's life. Girls tend to look to their mothers and boys to there fathers as well as girls look up to their fathers and boys to their mothers. Your child will watch what you do, how you act, and how you react. You are the first person they know and trust. Many times, it's a parent's beliefs, standards, morals, political views, education, etc. that a child will see and grow to emulate or understand. What influence are you leaving on your little ones and your loved ones? What kind of person do you want them to see you as?
Aunts, uncles, friends, and cousins; don't think you are off the hook! So many children will look up to adults with whom their parents associate. Most children look at their parents in a different way than they may see another adult. For example, to a child, parents don't understand them so they look to an aunt or uncle for an example. This is what I like to call, influence by association. Be someone these little ones can look up to and come to with questions and concerns.
In our world today, we are inundated with social media and the internet. We need to be very mindful of what our children are doing on these sights. Take notice to who your children talk about when it comes to music, celebrities, TV shows, friends on Facebook, etc. You will want to pay attention to who they "love" and want to be like - especially when it comes to celebrities.
I still to this day have people that made an impact in my life. Some have been celebrities, but most were church leaders, teachers, family members and friends that I wanted to be like. Those I chose to look up to tended to always have their lives together and wanted to do good for those around them. They are happy, optimistic, loving, fun people.
I looked up to my sisters and brother a lot as well. I watched the choices they made and the consequences and results that came from those choices. Many times I found myself making very similar decisions to theirs because I was able to see the good outcome from their examples. Some things I chose not to follow after recognizing the negative consequence that came from a choice.
Of course my parents were a dominant, shining influence in my life. They taught me how to live in this world without getting sucked up into all the hoopla and craziness that surrounds us all. Both my mom and dad helped pave the way for me to make decisions on my own, build confidence and self-esteem, trust without being too naive, be open minded, kind, thoughtful, and the list could go on and on infinitely. They helped teach me about hard work and doing my best in all I do. As you can see, parents are a major influence.
Now, does this mean all parents are outstanding and everything they do is worth copying? No. Some parents make mistakes and you have to learn from their mistakes and cling to those who are great influences. I have friends that had rotten childhoods but they found great influences through church, school and their community. They are happy people to this day because they didn't let the bad overpower the good around them.
Let us all try to be better influences to the youth around us. You may not think that they are watching but they are, they definitely are. When you were a child, who did you want to be like? Many of us have become those we used to idolize. Let's make decisions and have lives worth looking up to.
Questions to think about:
I have several questions throughout the blog. Take a moment to review and ponder those questions that were asked above.
Think about those in your life that have had or still have an influence on you. You may be thinking of individuals like your mom, dad, sister, brother, grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, friends, church leaders, and neighbors - just to name a few.
The people you associate with most end up being those you emulate. Think of who that is for you. What kind of people are you surrounding yourself with? Are these people of good influence? Do they bring out the best in you?
To you parents out there... I believe that you have the greatest impact and influence on a child's life. Girls tend to look to their mothers and boys to there fathers as well as girls look up to their fathers and boys to their mothers. Your child will watch what you do, how you act, and how you react. You are the first person they know and trust. Many times, it's a parent's beliefs, standards, morals, political views, education, etc. that a child will see and grow to emulate or understand. What influence are you leaving on your little ones and your loved ones? What kind of person do you want them to see you as?
Aunts, uncles, friends, and cousins; don't think you are off the hook! So many children will look up to adults with whom their parents associate. Most children look at their parents in a different way than they may see another adult. For example, to a child, parents don't understand them so they look to an aunt or uncle for an example. This is what I like to call, influence by association. Be someone these little ones can look up to and come to with questions and concerns.
In our world today, we are inundated with social media and the internet. We need to be very mindful of what our children are doing on these sights. Take notice to who your children talk about when it comes to music, celebrities, TV shows, friends on Facebook, etc. You will want to pay attention to who they "love" and want to be like - especially when it comes to celebrities.
I still to this day have people that made an impact in my life. Some have been celebrities, but most were church leaders, teachers, family members and friends that I wanted to be like. Those I chose to look up to tended to always have their lives together and wanted to do good for those around them. They are happy, optimistic, loving, fun people.
I looked up to my sisters and brother a lot as well. I watched the choices they made and the consequences and results that came from those choices. Many times I found myself making very similar decisions to theirs because I was able to see the good outcome from their examples. Some things I chose not to follow after recognizing the negative consequence that came from a choice.
Of course my parents were a dominant, shining influence in my life. They taught me how to live in this world without getting sucked up into all the hoopla and craziness that surrounds us all. Both my mom and dad helped pave the way for me to make decisions on my own, build confidence and self-esteem, trust without being too naive, be open minded, kind, thoughtful, and the list could go on and on infinitely. They helped teach me about hard work and doing my best in all I do. As you can see, parents are a major influence.
Now, does this mean all parents are outstanding and everything they do is worth copying? No. Some parents make mistakes and you have to learn from their mistakes and cling to those who are great influences. I have friends that had rotten childhoods but they found great influences through church, school and their community. They are happy people to this day because they didn't let the bad overpower the good around them.
Let us all try to be better influences to the youth around us. You may not think that they are watching but they are, they definitely are. When you were a child, who did you want to be like? Many of us have become those we used to idolize. Let's make decisions and have lives worth looking up to.
Questions to think about:
I have several questions throughout the blog. Take a moment to review and ponder those questions that were asked above.
Family Home Evening Ideas:
Pass out a sheet of paper to each family member. Ask each person to write down 3-5 people who influence them. Review the lists and discuss why these people stand out to them and why they are an influence in their life.
Follow up from previous months:
Have you been able to let go of something or someone from your past? Did you forgive those that were holding you back? Keep a prayer in your heart and ask the Lord for help if you continue to struggle with this. He will listen and He knows of you're struggle.
