At the end of my trip to Cuba I was approached by a guy at church who was so excited to see me. I couldn’t remember having met him before, but he definitely knew who I was and came up to me with a big smile on his face.
He said, “You came here eight years ago and spoke at a youth ministry training conference. You were here for a Seminary graduation and spoke about the heart of a youth leader at an event that same week. I was in the crowd and heard your message. Encouraged by you, I studied youth ministry at the Seminary.”
Dencil Robinson is now the youth pastor at the Third Baptist Church of Santiago. He studied at the Seminary under professors that were trained by Youth Ministry International (my students), and now his ministry is reaching and discipling young people in one of the most important cities in Eastern Cuba.
What a privilege to play a small part in the formation of this youth leader!
Dencil’s story reminds me that you may not know the extent of your influence. There are people watching you and listening to you everyday. What you say and do impacts their lives either for the positive or the negative.
Indirect influence is an important part of leadership. It has to do with integrity and being the person you are supposed to be at all times, not knowing who is watching or listening to you. You may never know the influence you are having on people. So keep doing the right thing and don’t get weary. God is doing something that you don’t even know is happening…perhaps in the lives of people you don’t even know are listening.
