Spoiler Alert: You’re Already an Influencer

You don’t need me to tell you how to be an influencer. You’re already an influencer.

The question is: How are you influencing others—and who is influencing you?

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” Ephesians 4:1

Let me tell you a little story…

Several weeks ago, I was taking a break in between my typical Saturday chores when I sat down on the couch to watch a funeral being livestreamed from my church. I didn’t know the woman who had passed, and I am not sure I had ever even met her. But my Pastor does such a beautiful job preaching funerals, and never misses an opportunity to share the Gospel, so I really wanted to listen in.

Each of Janet’s family members spoke of her influence on their lives over the years. They talked about how she had shared the wisdom she gained through hardships and difficulties, always pointing them back to her Savior and reminding them of His goodness, regardless of the circumstances they were facing. It was wisdom that would be passed from generation to generation.

I found myself in tears through probably three-quarters of it. The next morning, I told Pastor Bob that I had listened to the entire service and that it was probably the most beautiful funeral I had ever “attended” – virtually, anyway.

He said he didn’t have to do much that day because Janet’s family had done such a beautiful job planning the service.

Janet’s whole life preached the Gospel. Her life influenced the lives of everyone who knew her.

But here’s what struck me most profoundly:

I didn’t know Janet.

And yet, in her death, I found myself pondering how my life could influence the lives of my grandchildren.

Janet influenced her family during her life.

But in her death, she influenced mine.

What Kind of Influencer Are You?

The internet has created all kinds of categories for influencers:

Mega/Celebrity: Famous actors, athletes, or pop stars with millions of followers.
Macro: Industry experts or online personalities with 100,000 to 1 million followers.
Micro: Everyday people with 3,000 to 100,000 followers who focus on a specific niche and have earned the trust of their audience.

The internet will even teach you how to become an influencer—and how to make money influencing millions of people.

It seems to me that many of these influencers think quite highly of themselves.

I didn’t know Janet, but I’m pretty certain she thought more about others than she did about herself, like Philippians 2:3 teaches us to do.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

I remember standing at the kitchen island in my son’s house a few years ago and asking my daughter-in-law to explain to me what a social media influencer actually was. She told me about people who make money by influencing others to follow them while they endorse a particular makeup product, clothing line, or any number of other things. The truth is, I’m still not sure I completely understand what they do or how they do it. But there is one thing I know with absolute confidence:

I’m easily influenced. And so are you.

And we need to be just as careful about who gets to speak into our lives as we are about who our teenage children run around with.

Because it doesn’t matter if we’re 16 or 66—we will never stop being influenced. And we will never stop influencing.

Influence matters.

And let’s be honest… Some of our influencers need to be unfollowed immediately.

“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” 1 Corinthians 15:33

Janet Was an Influencer

Janet wasn’t famous. She didn’t have millions of followers. There are no books written about Janet’s life, and she wasn’t trying to make money from the people who followed her. But Janet was an everyday person whose life pointed others – not toward any products, popularity, or political opinions—but toward her Savior. And she wasn’t doing it for her own benefit. She was doing it because she cared about the eternities of the people God had placed in her life. Janet was an influencer.

And that’s when I began taking inventory of my own life. How do I spend my days? Who am I texting back and forth with? Who do I allow to speak into my life? Who do I trust with my struggles—and yes, even my sin? I have some Janets in my life. And do you know what they all have in common? None of them are trying to make a name for themselves. None of them are looking for ways to be known. None of them are drawing attention to themselves. None of them have a million followers. And none of them are trying to gain something from me or anyone else.

They are simply living out Romans 12:3:

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

They are the quiet ones in the background. The ones who don’t feel the need to fill every still moment in a classroom with a comment. The ones who come to mind when I’m facing a difficult decision and want to do the right thing: “What would ______ do?” “How would ______ react?” “How does ______ treat people?” “I want to be like ______.”

I want to be like Janet. Like Linda. Like Edna. Like Mary. Like Carolyn. Like Karen. These are the people who continue to influence me—not because they try to, but because they faithfully follow Christ, living lives worthy of the Gospel.

Who Is Influencing You?

How many Janets do you think are sitting in the pews of our churches every Sunday? People we brush shoulders with, sit beside, and pass in the hallway—but never really get to know. People whose lives could teach us something if we would simply slow down long enough to notice. I’ve been sorry I didn’t know Janet ever since the morning of her funeral. And I’ve continued thinking about how I steward my time ever since – because we never stop being influenced.And we never stop influencing others. That’s something worth pondering deeply.

How does my speech point others to Christ? How do I speak about other people? Do I always have to have my own way? Do I forgive quickly? Do I harbor bitterness? Do things matter more to me than people?

“Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1

Who is influencing you?

Who are you following as they follow Christ? And perhaps an even more important question:

Who are YOU influencing as YOU follow Christ?

Are you more concerned with influencing others than with being influenced?

Because the truth is, everyone needs discipleship.

Who is discipling you? Who is speaking truth into your life? Who is helping sharpen your faith?

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
—Proverbs 27:17

Maybe you need to rethink who you’re following. Maybe you need to unfollow a few people. Maybe you need to make more room in your life for the quiet, faithful people who are already pointing you toward Christ. Maybe you need to reprioritize your day—right down to the minute.

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20

I’m right there with you. These are the questions I’ve been asking myself lately. Because whether we realize it or not, we are all influencers. The question isn’t whether our lives will influence others.

The question is WHO our influence will point them toward.

Thank you, Janet.

You have influenced me, and I can’t wait to meet you someday in heaven.