Am I an Influence?

Recently Keaton asked me, "Mom, do you think I am an influence?"  

So I asked him, "What do you mean?"

And he says, "You know, do you think I influence people?"

I say, "Of course, we all influence people."

"That's not what I mean," he says.

Turns out what he really means is -- "Am I an influencer on social media?"  At this point Keaton does not have any social media accounts.  But he watches a lot of YouTube (many influencers there....) And he plays a couple of games online where there is a creative element and there are other players who recognize his genius and attention to detail in his creations and give him "Likes".  This is what he means by being an influence.

Well, I still go back to what I said before: We are ALL influencing people.  One way or another.

I recently finished Ripple Effects by Pam Tebow.  She is probably best known for being Tim Tebow's mom.  But she is much more than that.  She is an influencer.  Her book's subtitle is this: "discover the miraculous motivating power of a woman's influence."

This book is really good!  It's filled with scripture.  In fact, the most impressive thing I gleaned from Tebow was how she taught her children scripture by just making up catchy little tunes to go with the verses.  And her kids and even her grandkids are still singing these songs years later.  What an amazing way to impress God's Word into our hearts!

She was a stay-at-home mom, a homeschooling mom, and is now a motivational speaker and a big advocate for the pro-life movement.  Great story there related to her son Timmy....  She was also a missionary (the whole family lived in the Philippines for several years.) She shares so much practical wisdom and some great stories that increased my faith and made me ponder my influence.

Of course I am an influencer as a mom.  And to me, right now, that is my greatest task.  Wish I could say my kids have memorized tons of scripture.  haha!  Maybe not.  But I do think they grasp the nature of God, the character of God, the salvation that Jesus has brought.  His name is always on our lips.  Here's what Tebow says about being a mom: "Mothers do not need to search for someone to influence. We have an audience who will mimic us, whether we want them to or not" (p54). So true! Her point there was that our attitude can affect our entire household, good or bad.

True to form, Tebow has broken down the miraculous motivating power of influence into an acronym, something to help her remember it: MMPMMP

M- aster --- know God intimately
M- anual --- utilize the Bible as the source for wisdom
P- rayer --- pray unceasingly, ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication)
M- indset --- "as a man thinketh, so is he", create a mindset of service
M- ission --- find the mission God has given you
P- assion --- this is what drives you to influence and carry out mission

If you get a chance to read Ripple Effects, I think you'll enjoy it.  If not, just remember you ARE an influence.  An ambassador.  A masterpiece.

Eph 2:10 "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (NIV)