Sunday May 11 is Mother’s Day. We’re going to be talking about something mothers do very well — influence. Like it or not, our moms shape who we are. Genetics is part of it, but influence goes far beyond that. Our values and habits, our beliefs hopes and fears are all influenced by the people close to us. Notice I say influenced, not determined. Your parents don’t control who you are and what you think (just ask them, they’ll surely agree!). But they do have influence in ways we sometimes don’t even realize.

In fact, everyone we meet influences us to some degree, and likewise we have an influence on the people around us. That is really the topic I will be speaking about this Sunday. I want to get us thinking about the people we influence and the ways our influence is leading them for good or bad. My operating theory (and I’m still developing this) is that God itends for us as his people to have a positive influence on the people around us. He intends for us to draw others to him. We can’t control other people, but we can influence them. And that can make a huge difference.

No matter how unimportant you may feel, you do have a circle of influence. The world is a different place because you are in it. What are you going to do with the influence you have? What will you do to insure that your influence is what you intend it to be?