Skip to main content

Who has influenced you in your life?

Steve Dalton and his wife
Recently my swim coach from high school announced his retirement. After 48 years of coaching, he has decided to throw in the towel. This man had a great influence on me, helped me shape who I am today. It has really gotten me thinking, how many people have I influenced? There are some people which we know we have influenced because they have told us, but what about the people who we have but haven't told us?
I would like to tell you about an amazing man, a man who passed away this last year. Steve Dalton was a mighty man in the faith. I was on my mission, I was still in my first area, and having a really rough time. Steve Dalton was the stake president of the district I was in. Every month he would have all of us missionaries over for breakfast, this breakfast was amazing! But it wasn't the breakfast which had the biggest impact on me, it was what he did for me the very last time I was in his home. After breakfast, we would have a gospel discussion, after this last time I was the last one to step out of the house, before he let me leave he grabbed me, pulled me in for a close hug, and whispered in my ear saying, "I love you!" That was exactly what I needed to hear, it wasn't just President Dalton telling me he loves me, it was God telling me too.
The entire year before my mission I spent teaching swim lessons. There was this girl named Emily who I taught all year long. She had some mental disorder, I never knew which one one it was, but she had a huge impact on my life. I was teaching level 2 and she kept failing the class, I kept thinking of how I could teach her differently. She would swim perfectly in shallow water, but once she gets into water over her head she freaks out. A lot of kids work well when I am right beside them, Emily was different though, I had to be in front of her, leading the way and letting her follow. I didn't tell her she could swim I showed her. I saw the change happen in her eyes, seeing the fear leave her eyes replaced with excitement. I'll never forget the day which I got to see Emily pass level 2.
These are just a few people who have influenced me, people who have changed my life. I know we all have these kinds of people in our lives, some have moved away and some have passed away. I have always wondered how it will be going through the veil, seeing our family, seeing those we love, and people we have influenced. But I also think there will be many people there who influenced us there, some who know influenced us, and others not knowing exactly why they needed to be at your homecoming. Just picture it now, you are in heaven, minding your own business and God walks up to you telling you that you need to hurry up and get to the veil, there is someone important you need to meet. You get there just in time to see this person walk through the veil, start hugging your family, and then next they come hugging you, crying all over you. You don't know who this person is, they look familiar, but you still don't know who they are. They tell you about the day they decided they didn't want to live no more, they were going to take their life, but you noticed them, you said hi to them, which caused them to feel loved which changed their mind about ending their life.
We think we can't make a difference, I say that is the biggest lie from Satan. We think we need to do some great big thing to influence those around us, but I have learned it is the small and simple things which bring great things to pass. It is smiling at
someone, listening, caring and loving. Sometimes it is holding open a door for someone, or maybe letting someone merge in front of you in traffic. You never know who you will save today.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Do you want to be able to shake the powers of hell?

One of my favorite stories is of Alma the younger and the Sons of Mosiah. They were the vilest of sinners, put became some of the best missionaries to ever serve the Lord. Their story truly shows us that the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone, the sinner, the righteous and everyone in between. They, like Saul, were confronted by an angel who told them they need to change their ways. They were told to stop destroying the church, but to help build it up. Would you change your life if you were visited by an angel? I feel all of us would say yes to this question, but would we really change? Let's take a look at Laman and Lemuel. These two men were visited by angels a handful of times, did they change? Maybe for a day or two, but then they went back to their evil ways. They, like Lucifer, chose to rebel against their father because they wanted all the glory, they wanted to be the hero, but since they chose to rebel they instead were made the loser. But they saw an angel, they hea...
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Way to Show Our Love for God

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like, unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." All Christians have heard these verse of scriptures, but how many actually follow these two commandments? We should all know that Christ has said that "If ye love me, keep my commandments." So we should know how to follow the first great commandment, but how do we follow the second one? How do we love our neighbor? How do we love our neighbor when our neighbor doesn't love us? How do we love our neighbor when they believe in something we don't? I say in order for us to love our neighbor we must learn how to follow the second part of the second greatest commandment. Let's look at it another time, "Tho...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Boy and His Mom!

Lately I have been thinking about a book, my favorite childhood book. This book has helped me a lot over the years, if I am ever feeling down and blue, I read this book, and it helps me to remember how much I have been given. This book especially reminds me of my mom! I know she enjoys my company, and she has given me so much, and has made so many sacrifices not just me, but all my siblings and many others. From this book I have learned that the activities which we do with those we love don’t matter too much, but the time we spend with them do. So now I want to thank my mom for all the great time we have spent together! Started about 22 years ago. I spent about 9 months with her, nagging her here and there when I was hungry. Giving her a “gentle” kick when I was excited for no reason. After those 9 months of darkness for me, she went through the greatest pain known to man for many hours for me! I grew up, learned to walk, to talk, and to eat! During all this she was continually ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tender Mercies