You Are A Person Of Influence

You Are a Person of Influence

But Moses pleaded with the LORD, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Then the LORD [said], . . . “Go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” Exodus 4:10-13

Too often we tend to think of our platform as something that is tied to our position or occupation. We influence the people who work for us or who have a direct relationship with us. Certainly we don’t have a platform to influence others outside our areas of authority, we think.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

When Dean Smith retired after thirty-six years as the head coach of the University of North Carolina, a number of sportswriters dusted off stories from his days as a young coach in the 1960s. Most people had forgotten or had never known the side of Dean revealed in the events that happened thirty years prior.

It was a tumultuous time in our nation, and Smith put himself in the middle of it, repeatedly. As stories go, he would invite an African American member of the community to lunch. They would head to the most segregated place in town, whether it was in Chapel Hill, Durham, Greensboro, or other places in North Carolina or other Southern states.

People would stare and become angry at his audacity to do that in public. Smith didn’t care and would blithely eat his meal, knowing they weren’t about to throw him out, as much as they might want to.

“He was a basketball coach,” some critics might say. “What he did, well, that was outside his coaching platform. He overstepped his bounds.”

Wrong. We all should be expanding our platforms, looking for ways we can influence others and situations for good. This doesn’t have to involve civil disobedience. We can volunteer to tutor, carpool to soccer practice, or start a book discussion group. Have a cheery disposition for everyone we come in contact with. The list of options to make a difference is endless.

Uncommon Key > Everyone has a platform, in different settings, with small groups or large. What is yours? Use it to make a difference in the world around you. Don’t wait for God to send someone else.