Leading a Life of Influence
- Meagan McMillian
- Aug 28, 2017
- 7 min read
Teenpact Texas II staffer and close friend Meagan McMillian hits the nail on the head as she talks about being influential! Enjoy!
When Kayla contacted me a few weeks ago and asked me to write a guest post on The Difference Blog I was flooded by several different emotions. I had the chance to meet Kayla & Jayla in person at TeenPact this year, and I knew right away that they are both incredible godly young leaders. And I quickly learned that this blog is one of their many creative outlets that they use to bring God glory. So first, I felt honored that they wanted to share their awesome platform with me. But simultaneously, I felt a huge sense of inadequacy. The thought that people would not only be reading this article, but would also be potentially influenced by what I chose to write was an extremely daunting thought to me. Influence... that’s what really was scaring me. Interestingly enough, according to Kayla, that’s what the idea behind this guest post series is about: people of influence. Yet, I felt every weakness in me become more pronounced as I realized what this opportunity meant. So what is influence? And Whose influence is it anyways? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines influence as: “the power to change or affect someone or something : the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen. : a person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way.”
My dad has always told me that the older we get, the bigger our potential sphere of influence gets. As a Senior in high school, I’m starting to see what he means for the first time. I’m at a place in my life where I’m seen as a big kid to young people, but at the same time I’m seen as a young adult by grown-ups. So, while my potential sphere of influence is still relatively small compared to some older people, so far in my short 17 years here, God has given me some cool opportunities to see Him influence others through me, and those around me. And I feel like this year in particular God has really been teaching me a lot about influence. Specifically, that it’s Him influencing others for His glory through us. He has used a couple outlets to teach me this season. Some major ones have been through having the opportunity to staff with TeenPact Leadership schools this past spring, and through my youtube channel.
Recently, after being elected to a position of influence, a friend of mine was asked how he deals with the popularity that comes with his position. He responded by saying that he doesn’t see popularity as a bad thing, because instead he views it as a platform to point others to Christ. That really stuck with me in regards to my youtube channel where I make short-film animations using my American Girl dolls. There is a big sense of community on what we like to call AGTube (American Girl YT) and girls of all ages tune in to watch & create stories with their little doll families. Over the years, God has really made me passionate about making my channel a “safe place” for girls. A place where
people can watch & see that there is hope & joy even in a world like today’s because of what Jesus has done. I am by no means an expert on influence or bringing glory to God. In fact, I have a ton of weaknesses, places that I fall short, and insecurities, but that’s just fine with God becuase He can still use little me to bring Him big praise. God is calling us to a life of influence for His glory, even if we feel we’re the least qualified people to do it.
As believers, God calls us to a life of influence. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 is an awesome picture of that calling. We’re called to point others to Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit they can be influenced to follow Him through seeing our life and actions. For the unbeliever and believer, whether we realize it or not, we are all influencers. We can’t avoid this responsibility. We are either a good influence or a bad influence at any given moment and situation. And as we influence those around us (for good or bad), others are having an influence on us (also for good or bad).
My grandpa has said “As you disciple someone, at the same time you should have someone else discipling you.” For me, I have a few really awesome mentors. My parents & a friend’s mom especially. Their influence on me is good, because they point me back to Jesus and what is true. But sadly, sometimes it seems that there are more bad influences in this world than good. So I’ve been learning that I need to be careful of which influences I let into my life. If it’s true that I’ll become like the five people I’m around the most, I want to be sure they are all good influencers, who point me to Christ.
Another thing I’ve been learning is that one of the ways God blesses us is by working through us to bless others. As He has been growing me in this season, I’m learning that there is no greater place of fulfillment then when we are obedient to Jesus. God can use our obedience to His call to make disciples and therefore be godly influencers, to give us a front row seat to see His hand change lives, and make an impact in the Kingdom of Heaven. Some of the blessings God has allowed me to see through challenging me in my obedience to Him and intentionality with others have been opportunities He has given me, friendships He’s made and strengthened, and sometimes through allowing me to see a glimpse of the impact He’s having in someone’s life. I’m also learning that other times, we may never be aware of God’s hand in the situation. But just because we may not see the impact that God has made through us, doesn’t mean that it isn’t there or that God isn’t doing anything through us. At the end of your life, you may never know how many people’s lives God changed by using you to bring Him glory.
So what do you think it takes to be an influencer for God’s Kingdom? What kind of qualifications do we need to serve God with intentionality? I think the answer is simply, obedience. In God’s economy, as my dad likes to call it, everything is upside down from the way the world thinks. When you want to get a job in the world, you type up a resume listing all skills you’ve picked up that make you a perfect fit for the position. But in God’s economy, it's upside down. I picture it as if there’s a big sign on the door of God’s “employment house” reading in big print: “No skills required PREFERRED!” Think about David as he faced Goliath. He was just a kid, with no skill or qualifications other than the fact that when he saw the Philistines defy God, he was obedient to God’s call for him to stand up for what’s right. And despite David’s obvious weakness, God blessed his faith and was glorified in a huge way when Goliath fell, because everyone knew that power could have never come from David. It could only have come from God. When I read the passage in scripture (1 Samuel 17: 1-58), I thought it was especially interesting how David’s immediate response to both Saul and Goliath has a posture of confidence- not confidence in himself or his own abilities, but confidence in the character and faithfulness of God. He openly makes it known even before he approaches Goliath, that this is God’s battle and not his own.
There are so many places in the Bible where God uses the absolute least likely people to further His kingdom, and uses their weaknesses and shortcomings to point back to the fact that it isn’t them doing it. It isn’t them making the impact. A few that come to mind for me are the battle of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-27), when God uses Elijah to prove that He is the one and only God to king Ahab and the prophets of baal (1 Kings 18:1-46), and when Saul (Paul) becomes a believer (Acts 9:1-19).
I can personally vouch for this. As January rolled around and I prepared to staff my first state class with TeenPact, I remember laying in my bunk at staff training that first night and being completely overwhelmed by my own inadequacies and thinking how on earth I was ever going to do this. But thankfully, as God has grown me this season, I’ve come to realize (and be reminded when I forget) that while I have every weakness, there is no weakness in Christ. Sometimes, His power can be seen the greatest when I have no power at all.
God is calling you to a life of influence for His glory, even if you feel you’re the least qualified person to do it. I’m also learning that you’ll feel most fulfilled and your potential sphere of impact is widened when you’re in obedience to God. As a final parting
thought, as fallen humans we have our sinful nature to take into consideration in this- even as believers. I speak from a place of experience when I tell you that because we’re
fallen beings, when you begin to see the fruit of what God is doing through you it can be incredibly easy to lose sight of Whose influence it really is, and slip into a mindset of
pride and vanity. But praise God! His mercies are new every morning, and His power is strongest when we are weak. (2 Corinthians 12:9, Lamentations 3:22-23, 2 Corinthians 4:5)
“Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:1-6
A native Texan, Meagan McMillian is 17 years old and is the oldest of 4 kids. She enjoys doing art, being around animals, and horseback riding. Meagan loves to make new friends and is passionate about discipleship and filmmaking.
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