What Does Your Fountain of Influence Look Like?

better living family lifestyle rocks before sand Sep 10, 2021

(6 minute read)

by Bethany Rees

A few quick questions if you please:

Who are your friends?
Who do you talk to, hang out with, text, or follow on social media?
Who do you look up to and ask for advice?
Who is asking for your advice?

All of these questions are aimed at pointing out the fountain of influence in your life.

Influence, like a fountain, can have a cascading effect because we are all influenced by someone and are in turn influencing others.

This can be a positive or negative cascading effect.

According to dictionary.com, influence is “the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others:”

In other words, someone is a compelling force on your actions, behavior, opinions, etc. And you are a compelling force on someone else’s actions, behavior, and opinions, etc.

So the hard question here is “are we being intentional with this compelling force of influence?”

I’ve thought about this intentional fountain of influence more and more as God has taught me many valuable lessons over the past few weeks.

Mrs. Priscilla Was Part of My Fountain

My broken heart is still struggling to reconcile the death of a beloved woman, Mrs. Priscilla. As I reflect on her life and the impact she had on me, I am in awe of how intentional she was in influencing me as a woman, wife, mother, and fellow educator.

When I was struggling as a new high school administrator, she pulled me aside and gave me a toy crocodile, held my hands, and read me a poem about how to wrestle with hard times and come out victorious.

She sent me cards and texts saying she was praying for me. The feelings of love and hope I had when I left her presence are almost indescribable. Remembering all the things she taught me by her example alone, I would call her a great fountain of influence pouring into me; she was a mentor.

Did we officially have a mentor/mentee relationship? No. But we had a friendship and with her being twenty years older, she shared such wisdom about situations and “seasons of life” that were headed my way. I was always appreciative of the “heads up” and feeling of normalcy I felt when I shared a current struggle I was going through. Her tales of “yeah, been there, done that, and survived...and you will too” helped me take on a new perspective of life through hard times.

Speaking of hard times, I once heard comedian Mark Lowry tell a story about being in a tornado while on a houseboat on a lake (see the hilarious video here). After laughing through his story, he shares that the lesson he learned from that experience was:

“I would have enjoyed that a lot more, had I known I was going to live through it.”

His story made me think of Priscilla because she had joy no matter the circumstance or “tornado” she was in. She was by far the most positive woman I have probably ever met. Y’all, this woman literally gave me and another friend a jar of sunshine just to brighten our day.

The only negative thing I ever heard her say was about her cancer and all she said was “well doesn’t this just suck.” Everything else that came out of her mouth during her entire battle was love and concern for not herself but those around her. Even in her darkest valley she couldn’t help but be a light to others. At her funeral there were a ton of reminders from her saying “don’t cry for me, I’m in heaven.” Wow!

God Speaks Into Our Lives

Because God loves speaking into our lives, He’ll often confirm a message through various circumstances, his word, prayer, and the church. Well, He definitely confirmed the message of “being a fountain of influence” through 2 Timothy and my church.

For the past few weeks, our pastor has been preaching about 2 Timothy from a perspective I had never thought of. At the writing of 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul was in prison and knew he was about to die, but he also knew the young disciple Timothy would endure great hardships going forward. So with his last letter he chose not to complain about his impending death, but encourage Timothy, the younger generation of disciples, to keep going. He told Timothy that no matter the circumstances he might experience or distractions he might face, he needed to be intentional in accomplishing his mission and running his race (2 Timothy 2); for Timothy, this meant preaching the gospel.

My friend Priscilla and the apostle Paul, both who knew they were dying, chose to spend their final years, months, and days encouraging a younger generation. They poured themselves out and into other people.

You see, being a fountain of influence or a mentor does not have to be a formal relationship but one of friendship based on love and concern for the other. One where you share truth, endure hardships, and give neverending encouragement.

Leadership guru John Maxwell talks a lot about how important mentors are. He describes their value like this:

This past Sunday, our student pastor asked us this, “who is pouring into you and who are you pouring into?” Another God confirmation on what He had to teach me about the fountain of influence.

However, a warning must be issued. Fountains of influence can bring life or breed more negativity. Take a look at the graphic below.

Having a positive and life giving fountain of influence takes great intentionality to pour into the next person!

Paul poured into Timothy and Timothy poured into others. Priscilla poured into me...but I’ve got to ask myself: “who am I pouring into?”

So I now ask my hard question a different way:

“Are you being intentional with who is influencing you and who you are influencing?”

Like me, you may question your “pouring worth” sometimes by saying “I am nowhere near the status of the Apostle Paul or (name a great influence in your life) .” However, you have lived through some “stuff” and by the grace, mercy, and peace of God, you have not only just survived but have hopefully grown through those circumstances. So if you’re waiting on your stamp of approval, here it is…

You are officially approved to start your own fountain of influence and pour positive encouragement and wisdom into another person.

So, who can you pour into and be a mentor for? Who is going through a situation you know all too well.

Do you have a name?

Great. Now Go!

Go share your stories with others and encourage them. Share your life experiences, especially those that almost overwhelmed you, but by the grace of God you now have a story of survival and healing. Go and pour into someone else the life giving relationship with Jesus Christ. Pour yourself out and start your own fountain of influence.

Know Better. Do Better. Live Better. Be Intentional With Your Influence.

Rocks Before Sand!

Scripture: Paul’s Final Charge to Timothy

10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

~2 Timothy 3: 10-17NIV

References used:

"Influence." Dictionary.com Unabridged. 2021. https://www.dictionary.com (7 September 2021).
King, Priscilla. Great Friend and Mentor. Born 26 December 1958. Died 22 August 2021.
GaitherVEVO, director. Mark Lowry - I Survived a Tornado (Comedy/Live). YouTube, YouTube, 22 July 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSSACxohfSk.
Maxwell, John C. Mentoring 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know. T. Nelson, 2008.
Declaration Church Series: One More Letter - The study of 2 Timothy

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What Does Your Fountain of Influence Look Like?

Influence, like a fountain, can have a cascading effect because we are all influenced by someone and are in turn influencing others.

So the hard question here is “are we being intentional with this compelling force of influence?”

“I would have enjoyed that a lot more, had I known I was going to live through it.”

You see, being a fountain of influence or a mentor does not have to be a formal relationship but one of friendship based on love and concern for the other. One where you share truth, endure hardships, and give neverending encouragement.

“Are you being intentional with who is influencing you and who you are influencing?”