Positive Influence

I grew up learning from my grandmother and my parents how to be a good child of God. My hubby had always shared that when I met him, the first place I took him for our first outing was the fellowship I attended on the University Campus, but this story is not about me; it is about positive influence and the gift of trust. It is about a friend’s impact on my life that led me closer to God.

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I was in my dorm room at the University. One of my close friends came and handed me a bulky envelope asking me to help her drop it in the fellowship offering basket as she would not be able to make it to fellowship that night because she had a group assignment to do with her coursemates.

Being one of the ushers, I had to arrive quite early..but as I was walking to fellowship that evening, I suddenly remembered the bulky envelope in my bag and the circumstances of my friend.

My friend had lost her father just a few years back..actually, about 2 or 3 years before that day, she was studying one of the most challenging courses on campus then, and she only had her mother and her younger siblings to fall back on. However, she still committed to paying her tithe monthly.

Here was I, with my two parents and very financially stable, but my tithing was “psychedelic”…I could not fathom the trust she had in God; she even trusted me enough to be able to handle the job…that moment on the sidewalk going to fellowship and pondering on her faith changed something in my heart towards God. What she did drew me closer to knowing who God is. I was not surprised to see my friend graduate and eventually settle down to have her own family; I am not surprised to know she is happy today. I am also grateful that the gift of trust she gave me that day helped strengthen my relationship with God. It woke me up from my slumber and helped to solidify my future as well.

So, today I ask, what are you doing to help solidify people’s relationships with the Lord Almighty? I am still working on mine.

Written by Ibukun Ogunsina, New Beginnings Barrie, Psychotherapy and Counselling Services. Website: www.newbeginningsbarrie.com
E-mail: inquiry@newbeginningsbarrie.com
Tel: +1 705 241 8456