Esther 9 – Influence

This is quite a remarkable story of influence. Influence is defined as being, “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.” Esther, had influence. And at the right time, with the right words, in the right way, she used her influence. The result? She was given more favor and even more influence:

“The king said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa… Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted." – Esther 9:12

Each of us has influence, some more than others, but none-the-less, we all influence someone. Whether it’s a sibling, spouse, or child, eyes are watching us. That seems obvious to most. What I find as ironic is that the more authority we have, the less we may understand the impact of our influence on others.

In the definition of influence, we see it as being the power to be a compelling force on the obvious: the actions and behaviors, but also the not so obvious: opinions, belief, etc…

We can easily… how should I put it… “Drink the cool aid”. What I mean by that is that we are easily swayed on our opinions by those we look up to. Not just our actions, our literal opinions. That can be dangerous. Especially when they are human, just like us, and are not always right. Many white-collar crimes are committed because of the lacking moral compass and influence of those in charge. Much racism, biasness, and bigotry is passed on from generation to generation, even among “God-fearing” Christians.

So if someone is always listening and following our lead, we should be careful in choosing our words. We should take note of how much we throw our opinion around as if it is fact. When we want others to believe in us and follow us, we can often make generalizations that are damaging and come with limited perspective. We easily forget how we impact not only the actions, but also the opinion of those we influence.

Here is an example: My kid’s elementary school did a mock election around the recent presidential election. In order for them to learn from it, there was much discussion on the issues. My kids don’t know how I voted, but we discussed at length what was great about both candidates. Sydney (my 8 year old) really grabbed on to the fact that Obama could possibly be the first African-American president. Just the idea of that, shortly after learning all about Martin Luther King, captivated her. She also liked the idea that Obama seemed to talk often about helping the poor.

There were days she would come home from school crying. Literally crying because other kids were picking on her for her political beliefs. Seriously? Listen, my 8 year old doesn’t quite have the capacity to understand fully the politics that go into a presidency, yet when another kid is yelling out the window of the bus, “Get off my bus, I hate you, you like Obama!” something is wrong. Listen, kids will be kids. I know that, but for a kid that age to have such aggression towards someone on the other side of a political issue, influence has turned into brainwashing. This gives us just a glimpse to how much influence we really have.

So whether we’re a parent struggling to lead, a CEO of a major company, manager of a carwash, or find our selves as a Pastor of a church, how do we make sure our motives, our actions, and our ways are right? Well, for today’s purposes, and if we were to just look at the example of Esther, We would see at least three major concepts that we… honestly… often neglect:

o She came on behalf of others not herself. (always)
o She waited on God’s timing. (always)
o She listened to Godly counsel. (always)
o She was humble even in success. (always)

Translated: More of God and others, and less of us. It’s a simple thought, but profoundly indicting. As a leader, especially a church leader, I hope and pray that this is always my posture. But I know it won’t be. I’m constantly amazed by how much my flesh can get in the way (you’d think it’d be easier). So I pray I can see when it’s not, confess it, repent, and grow from it.

God, as we lead, whoever we lead, help us to lead in your ways. Help us to love you and love others with all we’ve got. Help us to see the benefit of that posture. Help us to see through our own selfish ambition and biasness to see only your truth. Help us to pass it along as we lead. And help us to identify when it is and when it’s not there when we follow. Give us courage and wisdom when it’s not. Make us better leaders, followers, parents, husbands and wives. Make us better people, God. Make us better Christ-followers. Amen.