OPINION —
On a clear day I often thank God for the influence of others on my life. I am indebted to my parents, family members and friends for some of my habits and daily behavior.
My mealtime behavior is the direct result of my daddy’s table rules for our family. No one was allowed to wear a cap or a hat to the table. No one “sampled” even one bite of food until daddy had prayed this prayer, while we all held hands: “Bless, heavenly Father, this food to our use, ourselves to Thy service, for Christ’s sake. Amen.” It was the only prayer I ever heard my daddy pray, but his praying at every meal inspired reverence for God in me and my siblings.
Though I declined to follow my dad’s practice of knocking a cap off the head of anyone who dared sit at his table wearing one, I have practiced his plan of holding hands and having someone pray at each meantime, although it was not always I who prayed. Dean and I taught our children to offer prayer at every meal, each taking turns. Honoring God at mealtime, whether at home or in a restaurant, has been a lifetime habit.
Daddy influenced me in several other ways. I don’t smoke, drink alcohol or curse because I am a preacher; I abstain from those habits because of daddy’s example. I never heard him use a single word of profanity, even when he was angry and frustrated. If he was ever going to cuss, it would have been the night when, at age 18, I went to sleep and wrecked the only new car he ever bought. I was amazed he did not use a few choice words to condemn my foolishness.
Daddy had a place for everything and insisted when we used a tool that we returned it to its place. To this day, I follow his example. I can tell you exactly where to find a hammer, a pair of scissors, a bottle of glue or a roll of Scotch tape. And if you use it, I want you to return it to the place where you found it.
My mother influenced me to love books, though the first book she read to me was her Bible, one with striking pictures of Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, Jesus and others. But her influence went much deeper.
When boiling paraffin put her right arm out of commission for months, she did not complain but learned how to write with her left hand. When cancer surgery left her with a colostomy bag, she patiently used it for 35 years, without complaining, until she died at age 95. When I look up the word, “perseverance,” in my dictionary, I find my mother’s picture beside it.
Mama taught me what a good marriage looks like. I never heard her criticize my daddy or point out his flaws to anyone. If she ever argued with Daddy, it was in the privacy of their bedroom. They had allowed God to make them “one flesh” in more than one way. For 68 years their unity and love for each other prevailed as an example to our family.
The influence of my siblings has been a marvelous blessing. We enjoy being together. We love and respect each other. I admire their character, the ways they serve Jesus and the sacrifices they make for their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. To this day, I have never had a serious argument with either of my four siblings. My brother and I were as tight as the bark on a tree. I praise God for the influence of my siblings on my life.
My sons have influenced greatly the way I live. Their support and encouragement for my ministry has been a star in my sky. I admire the ways each of them serves the Lord. Each in his own way has said to me, “Thanks Dad for teaching me to put Christ first in my life.”
The love and influence of my dear friends during life’s journey has been awesome. Their effect upon my practice of spiritual disciplines continues to this hour. Every morning when I rise to praise the Lord and read my Bible, I know that my friends Earl Ballard and Greg Lotz are up reading their Bible and praying for me, as I am for them. They and many other friends have wept with me, celebrated with me and encouraged me to keep on walking with Jesus no matter how dark the night.
The power of another’s example can be an awesome influence in our lives. The Apostle Peter understood this; in his First Letter he admonished us to consider Christ our example and “follow in his steps.” I love the way Eugene Peterson elaborated on Peter’s counsel:
“This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step by step. He never did one thing wrong,
Not once did he say anything amiss. They called him every name in the book, and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls” ( Peter 1:21-25).
When you follow in the steps of Jesus, you come under the power of his example — and your life will become a powerful influence in the lives of others.
