Be An Influencer for Christ

My phone dinged and alerted me to a new text. It was from my cousin.

Earlier, Jenny and I had talked about my ministry to share Christ with others. I admitted to feeling vulnerable because I am transparent about my spiritual walk. When I read Jenny’s text, I recognized the reason she sent it to me.

There were photos of three different pages from her mom’s journal. Her mom died years ago, and eagerly I read the words written by my Aunt Delores.

On the first page she wrote about two trips: A visit to Disney World with 13 other family members, and then another family visit to see the Christmas lights in Natchitoches, La. (Nack-a-Tish)

Aunt Delores had the gift of hospitality and thrived in large crowds – especially family events. Her home was always open to us. Her smile felt like a warm hug, her actual hugs were even warmer. She laughed often. She fiercely loved her kin, so it did not surprise me that she happily recalled trips during which they surrounded her.

I smiled when I read her “cold, cold, cold” description of the weather in Natchitoches. A lot of us were with her and my uncle on that trip. While some details of the trip have faded, two things remain clearly imprinted on our memories. The Festival of Lights, fireworks, and Christmas boat parade were extraordinary, despite Artic-like temperatures!

But it was the other two journaled pages that struck a chord.

On the second page, there were two questions:

First, who had the greatest impact on your spiritual life?

My aunt named three influencers who effectively pointed her to Jesus. They were her sister-in-law, Ruth; her mother-in-law, Catherine, and father-in-law, ‘Edard.’

Elsewhere in the journal she wrote that a man she dated, Bill, who would become her husband, was the first person to tell her about God.

“I was not brought up in a Christian home,” Aunt Delores wrote.

The second question explored her in-laws' impact on her life.

“Bill’s family was there for me. They guided and directed me to the Lord. They lived the life before me.”

Notice the words my aunt used; guided, directed, lived the life.

Guided simply means my mom, grandmother and grandfather showed Aunt Delores how to be a Christian.

Directed means they aimed for a specific path – one that would lead my aunt to Jesus. They did that through their daily interactions with her. They were living examples of Jesus in character, love, and His teachings.

Were they perfect? Of course not. But four of my family members spiritually invested in my aunt by introducing her to God, planting and watering the seeds of her salvation.

Hallelujah! God blessed their efforts and grew the seeds. We all enjoyed my aunt’s fruit because the Spirit of God lived in her from the moment she accepted God’s son, Jesus, as her Savior.

The third page of the journal says a lot about Aunt Delores. She wrote about “the most wonderful gift she could receive.”

She revealed her heart’s desire; “To know that all my family had [accepted] Christ as their Savior and one day we will all be together again in heaven. What a great gift and blessing.”

Oh my goodness. That’s my heart’s desire, too.

I’m grateful Jenny gave me a peek at her mom’s journal. What a treasure it is to read in my aunt’s own handwriting the beginnings of her salvation experience. If you’re a Christian, it is something you should do for your own children.

Tell them: Who first told you about Jesus? Who influenced you to live for Jesus and how did they affect your life?

It’s encouraging to learn that my desire to plant seeds about Jesus on a broader scale is simply an expansion of what my family was faithful to do. Jenny’s text of her mother’s words reminded me to be bold when I am prayerfully directing others to Christ. There is a harvest to be had.

I’m not unique. Sharing Jesus is the assignment of every Christian. Just before He left this earth to join His Father in heaven, Jesus told his disciples to make more disciples in all nations.

Like my mom and grandparents, that’s what I am striving to do. I challenge you, my brothers, and sisters in Christ, to join me in guiding, directing others to Jesus, and living as He lived. Be an influencer for Christ. You have an Aunt Delores in your family, too.

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Galatians 5:22-23 – fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

“Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19

“Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” John 4:35