The Widening Circle Of Influence

1 Corinthians 1:26b-30a – Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

Years ago, as a young housewife, I attended a business conference with my husband. There was a banquet in the evening, and some of the people I met were easy to talk to, but one man flitted from person to person, as if trying to shake as many hands as possible. Seeing an opportunity to introduce himself, he made his way over to where I was standing. "So what do you do?" he greeted me. I told him I was a busy homemaker with two young children at home. "Oh!" And he turned on his heel, and quickly moved away from me, to chat with some business associate nearby. His tone of voice and his quick escape told me that he wasn't interested in making conversation with someone who couldn't further his climb up the corporate ladder.

Much later in my life, I stood beside my small grandson, and watched the ever-widening circles in the clear blue lake, as the pebble he had thrown landed in the water. Although only one single pebble was thrown into the water, the circle it made became larger and larger, and, as we watched, I thought of the ever-widening circles made by each individual's influence.

Usually, our society doesn't give the janitor the same respect as the chief executive officer of a large corporation. But, I'm happy to say, unlike the businessman at the banquet, God doesn't move away from the janitor or the homemaker. He doesn't move away from anyone, but will take the contributions we give, the choices we make, and the influence we have, and use them in an ever-widening circle to reach our world. He loves us just the way we are.

Prayer: God, we want to say thank you for including us in your circle of love. Help us to love others the way you have loved us. Amen.

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