From Russia with Blogs | influence

Who influences you? Who do you influence?

While reading books by different authors about the church, I sometimes get a feeling that I am reading the stories of some mysterious fairy tale heroes. They do everything and their prayers get a response from God even before the utter the final “amen.” And God comes to them daily as their personal secretary, providing them with the daily schedule every morning. These heroes are always surrounded by positive people, full of joy and contentment.

But in my life I have not met people like that. The people who come to my corps often seem to embody the word “negative”.  And if you are prepared to listen to them, after awhile everything around you will inevitably darken. People like this whom I’ve met have many problems. Every day they face temptations and often they end up giving in rather than gaining victory. Many pray regularly. But the answers to their prayers are more likely to be a rare Christmas gift than an everyday reality.

All of this affects me. When I come home, I am sometimes in a bad mood because all day long I was influenced by these people with the negative outlook. I pray for God to give me joy. I want to influence those people positively so that after a conversation with me they would become joyful, hopeful and strong in their faith. But in my efforts I exhaust myself very soon.

This is why I value my interaction with those who are able to rejoice amid difficult circumstances; those who thank the Lord even while waiting to receive an answer to their prayers. It is important for me to communicate with those who do not attempt to turn their lives into a spiritual illusion but rather daily battle serious problems in their families or deal with health issues. Those who, while passing through the darkness, abstain from cursing everything and everyone. There are not many people like that. Instead I often hear complaints and dissatisfaction. I rarely observe gratitude or hear testimony of God’s activity.

If you have a choice between saying something negative or something positive, choose the positive. Let your influence be labeled with a “+” sign. The negativity is already far more prevalent than you could even imagine.

Writer: Captain Vadim Khurin was born into a family of circus artists. He joined The Salvation Army in 1995 and is now an officer serving in St. Petersburg, Russia. He loves music, sports, reading and learning. He has a beautiful wife - Inna - and three children. He likes to ask hard questions and find different ways of helping people get back their wholeness and integrity.

1 Comment to From Russia with Blogs | influence

1. Thanks for a practical and helpful reflection that connects to the stuff of reality.

   I am grateful that there are people within our congregations who live with illness, pain, or hardship, and yet continue to serve faithfully and joyfully. They encourage, challenge and inspire me - and

   I pray that in my interactions with them, and with others, I might always be a positive influence. May God give us all the strength to remain positive in the midst of negative influences.
Graham Roberts on November 23rd, 2008

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