Are You a Good Steward?

I still remember the day when a friend of mine made the following comment, "Be a good steward of your influence because we all have it." Those words hit me like a rock because it challenged the way I viewed myself. For many years, I would tell myself that I did not influence people because I don't "have this" or "possess that." I grew up thinking that influence was a result of success, and since I wasn't successful in the world's eyes, I didn't have influence. This wrong thinking and perspective stayed with me in different capacities until my friend said what he said. That night, God used him to help me see that I, and you as well, have influence. The question we need to ask ourselves isn't whether we have influence, but whether we are good stewards of the influence we already possess. 

Even today, I can still find myself struggling from time to time in being a good steward of influence. I can often let my emotions and feelings get in the way of good stewardship, and I can sometimes find it easy to revert to past thinking. But regardless of how the day goes, or how we feel, we do have influence. Before us today, you and I have the tremendous privilege and opportunity to wield our influence well. Let us be good stewards of this precious gift.