Ripples of Influence
When I was in grade school my brother and I would attend a kid’s camp with the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club. They would bus us off to some campground in the middle of nowhere where we would sleep in cabins with no AC, were required to make our beds every morning, and ate our meals in a mess hall military style. It was at this camp that I was first introduced to the high dive. (I was also introduced to snipe hunting but that’s a story for another day.) I don’t know if you’ve ever had the experience of being the first person of the day to stand at the top of the high dive, look into the sea of glass below you, and as your life flashes before your eyes take a leap of faith into the cool water of the pool. I had such an occasion at this camp. Standing at the top of what seemed like a 12-story building was one thing, looking into the sea of glass was quite another. There wasn’t a single ripple of motion in the water. I could feel the anxiety cover my body like a cold chill on a wintry day, and it literally looked like I was about to jump into an empty pool. I stepped up to the edge of the diving board, took a deep breath, and jumped. 30 minutes later I hit the water and the ripples were never ending.
This is a great picture of how influence works in our lives. Beginning at a very young age people begin to shape and steer our lives by their actions, reactions, habits, prayers, sense of humor and so much more. When we are young it’s usually our parents or close relatives who make the biggest impression on us. As we get older it becomes friends, teachers, or even coaches that influence us the most. Whoever it is they, sometimes unknowingly, have the power to make a profound influence on our lives.
Many of the people who influence our lives move us in a positive direction. For example, I had a teacher in grade school (I was so young I don’t remember exactly which grade) who was one of my favorite teachers. Let’s call her Mrs. Carter. I honestly don’t remember anything she taught me, but thanks to her impeccable teaching skills I somehow made it to the next grade. What I do remember and will never forget was the day a kid in our class from a lower-income family showed up with a brand-new pair of the coolest shoes this little mop haired boy had ever seen in his young life. I don’t remember the brand; all I remember is they looked fast! In my neighborhood speed had very little to do with athletic ability and everything to do with how cool looking your shoes were. We were also a very poor family. Single mom, two boys both growing like weeds but somehow my mom would manage to buy us both new shoes at the beginning of the school year. I kid you not, as soon as I got home, I would put my new shoes on, burst through our screen door, and run laps around our house to determine just how fast those puppies were. After half a dozen laps around our thankfully small house I would walk back in wide eyed, with a slight nod of amazement, look at my mom and brother sitting on the couch, and report “they’re fast”!!! Anyway, back to the classroom. I wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I was smart enough to know one, this guy was as poor as I was and there’s no way his family could afford a new pair of shoes like that. Two, it was the middle of the school year. Poor kids don’t get new shoes in the middle of the school year. Something was off. So as any inquisitive young lad would do in this situation, I asked him where he got them. What he told me absolutely blew my little grade school mind and was consequently imprinted on my soul that day and still remains. He told me our beloved teacher, Mrs. Carter, bought them for him. I remember being taken aback even as a youngster. This was the first time I remember being exposed to a pure act of generosity and it moved me. I’m sure it was just a brief second, but I never forgot it and I never forgot her. I’d like to think that witnessing that act of generosity all those years ago created something in me that wanted to emulate her example.
Fast forward four decades or so and I’ve been on the giving and receiving end of generosity many occasions. I could tell you stories of unexpected gifts that came just at the right time that enabled us to pay a bill, buy groceries or put gas in our car. I could also tell stories of giving gifts of cash, groceries, or fuel that hopefully were timely blessings as well. I’ve had many other friends who were great examples of generosity, but I think Mrs. Carter was the first. My hope is that I can influence my family and friends the way Mrs. Carter influenced me all those years ago. And, just like the ripples in that swimming pool, we all create wave after wave of pure generosity in one amazing way or another.
https://www.toliveinspired.net/journals/howinfluencechangedmylife