INFLUENCE. WHAT A TRICKY WORD. Pejorative? Sometimes. But at other times, it signals positive connotations. According to Webster's Dictionary, the meanings of influence veer from the dark mysteries of myth: "an ethereal fluid held to flow from the stars and to affect the actions of humans," to the practical and benign: "an emanation of spiritual or moral force," to the morally dishonest: "corrupt interference with authority for personal gain." Perhaps the most useful definition simply explains how influence works: "the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways." However we define it, one thing's for certain: influence, for good or for ill, wields great authority in today's world.
Perhaps we might ask, how seriously do we take the fact we have the capacity to yield to the influence of God, which in turn enables us to influence others for good? Do we take this power to heart? Do we recognize the authority we derive from our divine Parent? Because the facts about our being show that our capacity for thinking and doing good comes to each of us naturally, and without limits.
We don't have to be important public figures. We don't have to have the right connections. We don't have to take special training. Because right now, whatever age, race, nationality, gender, economic status, or educational level, every one of us has the capacity to influence the world for good. The Bible tells us that we are created in the exact image of our Maker. That we are made in the likeness of our Creator. Therefore, we derive our individuality, creativity, intelligence, energy, and innate love for others from our one infinite source—Life, Love, Spirit, Soul. We are like God.
