INFLUENCE-it's your choice...right?

Every one of us knows the sound of a fist meeting a jaw. It’s unmistakable, especially if the receiver of it has not a clue it’s coming. It’s the kind of sound that causes people to freeze and turn to look towards where it came from. Usually there are gawkers, the “OOOOOO!!!!”-ers and the onlookers. The sound of a well delivered punch, that distinctive “POP” reminds me of someone throwing a wrench in a fine tuned engine; you know it’s causing damage and probably not doing much good. Interesting how it always attracts attention right?

 

 

 

Cue last week. In this particular case, it was during lunch hour at a local high school where I work at. As I walked down the hallway, I happened upon one of those scenes that you typically see in movies. You know, the big group in a hallway surrounded plenty of onlookers, and would be combatants jawing at each other. As I viewed the scene, I noticed there was a group of 6 individuals running their mouths against 1 big football player. My first observation was that none of these 6 individuals came up to the football player’s chest. My second observation was that if things were to break out, there would be 6 individuals that would probably need some medical attention. This football player was HUGE, and pretty angry-all indicators one should turn and walk away. But not these fellas. They kept jawing and blazing away, momentum beginning to swing their way. As I began walking down the hallway towards the group, things began to heat up.  Words such as “Hey, knock his @$$ out” flew around and the punches were thrown. The football player held his own, swinging wildly and blindly, until one punch connected with his jaw and he dropped. It was similar to the punch I mentioned above. All it took was one shot to sneak thru his defense. The beating continued as they started kicking him and all he could do was put his hands over his head and roll into the fetal position (Calm down, I was reacting to the situation as I saw it unfold.)

 

 I remember as I started running towards the group, this one scrawny kid, no more than 13 and barely 5’4, looked down at the football player, and kicked the kid in his ribs for one good measure. I couldn’t believe what I saw (and he was the first one I dragged to the principal’s office). Here was this wet- behind-the- ears, little punk kid, having the nerve to kick someone he would never even look at straight in the eye if he saw him in the streets.  At the same time he’s hollering at the top of his lungs “That’s what you get for “$%^*$#&” with us!!”  KEYWORD: “US.” Because this kid was in a large group, he felt empowered. He felt as if his boys had his back and since they did, he could get away with something that he normally wouldn’t be able to do. So there he was, throwing punches and kicking someone’s ribs in.

 It was his choice and decision, but he was influenced. Once again, you don’t need to be a Christian reading the Bible 24/7 to see the truth in Amos 3:3 “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” If you know yourself and your situation, don’t be surprised on what you would and wouldn’t end up doing. Would that kid have tried that by himself if he saw that huge football player on the streets?  By all means no he would not have.

 

As I reflected on it that day, it all boiled down to one word: Influence.   It reminds me of a undertow in which you don’t see its effects on the surface, but has a power current underneath. Not very many people understand the levels to which influence reaches them. The social media influences you whether you know it or not. If you think about it, social media influence is the very thing that convinces you to shop at one store as opposed to another, and buy a certain product over another.  Human influence on one another goes as far as to make someone you disagree with, your “enemy,” and someone you agree with your “best friend.”  It puts the “best” in the friend, and the “worst” in the enemy. As stated in Amos 3:3 “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?”

 

Think to your life, and the influences that you have with family, friends, and acquaintances. Who influences you, and why do they influence you? In the situation I mentioned earlier, the kid was ultimately influenced. Sometimes we need to put off starting something that we know is not true to our character. One person can change things when they put their heart, soul, mind and energy into it. Think to your environment and the everyday interactions that you have….what can you change about it to influence someone in a positive way? Stop living with your barriers up, look for your opportunities in which you can help someone! Influence…it’s a powerful word.

Proverbs 13:20-“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Accountability-It's either sink or swim...

Do you remember what it feels like to be underwater? Your eyes are closed, yet you can still somehow "see" the huge shifts of light change underneath your eyelids. Could be from a person standing above you if your in a pool, or a cloud, but you can see it even if your eyes are closed. You can feel, well, water everywhere around you. Your submerged in it, it envelopes your very being....after a while you resurface and look back at where you came from. Your sense of direction can be pretty messed up can't it?  Either you've veered off course completely or your miraculously on track to where you imagined you'd be.

I can think back to this summer in July when I decided to swim across Blue Lake for no apparent reason on a family vacation. It's actually the lake you see in the picture above and below. Ok, I lie, maybe I wasn't about to be shown up by my cousins who do it every year. Every swimmer is assigned a boatsman who looks out for the general well being of the swimmer, providing them with water, food, and general direction. If other boats come near they can wave them off, or simply yell positive reinforcement.

As I started across this lake, I didn't realize A) Even though how large it looked, how much bigger it was when I was in it, and B) How much energy I would have to exert just to get through it. The first few hundred meters were a breeze. I remember swimming it freesyle thinking "Who needs a boat, I most certainly don't need one I'll be done in 20 minutes!" After 500 meters my arms were burning and I realized I wasn't even a quarter of the way done. I was forced to alternate between a form of freestyle and swimming on my back. Being on your back is one of the more difficult things because not only do you NOT see what's in front of you but waves wash over your face which is never fun. I also couldn't hear or see my boat due to me having to keep my eyes closed and my ears were beneath the surface. I remember being underwater and coming up for a stroke to hear my mom yelling "DA-" (I took another stroke before coming up to acknowledge her) "DANIEL!" As I looked up and around I realized I was veering completely off the middle of the course we had decided upon before I set out. With proper guidance I was able to get back on track. Every few minutes I would hear her yelling my name through the waves, flip around and look, readjust and continue swimming.
It took me a good hour to finish the swim, and at the end of it my arms were dead. All the swimmers got to enjoy a nice tow back to the other side courtesy of the Boatsman. On reflection, I realized how much I needed a boatsman to wave off other boats, encourage me, and keep me on track. How much more difficult would it have been for me if I would have brushed my mother off and told her to go "watch" another cousin of mine swim? I probably wouldn't have made it very far, and would have struggled even more.

Think to your own life. Who holds you accountable? Who can you rely on and lean on for advice? If you think you can do it all by yourself, I would encourage you to find someone who you can lean on and trust. As stated in Provebers 27:17 " As Iron sharpens Iron, so one man sharpens another." You don't have to be a Bible tooting Christian to appreciate the simple words from that Proverbs passage. It's simple to read and understand, but for many of us it's a hard passage to live out and grasp.
The point of it all? Get someone in your life who you can be accountable to, and who can strengthen you in your daily walk in life....or swim.