You Don’t Have to Be Influential to Have Influence
Last Updated on November 3, 2026 by Stacy Averette
Recently, someone asked about the original owner of the beautiful, historic home where our counseling practice is located.
“Was she an influential person in the community?”
I understood what she meant. She was asking whether this woman had been someone of prominence or importance in the community.
But I’ve thought about that question several times since.
What makes someone influential?
Is it their position? Their accomplishments? Their wealth? The number of people who know their name?
Certainly, people in prominent positions can have tremendous influence. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
But some of the people who have influenced my life most profoundly lived quiet, ordinary lives by most people’s standards.
Their names might not mean anything to the world, but their influence on my life has been profound.
Because influence isn’t measured by how well-known someone is.
You Already Have More Influence Than You Think
Think about the people who have made a difference in your life.
Who encouraged you when you were discouraged? Who challenged you to grow? Who believed you could do something you weren’t sure you could do? Who demonstrated faithfulness, kindness, courage, or perseverance when life was difficult?
Chances are, some of those people would never describe themselves as influential.
And yet, they influenced you.
Now consider something else.
What if you’re having that same kind of influence on someone else’s life?
You have relationships. You have opportunities. You interact with people every day.
Your words, attitudes, decisions, and responses are communicating something to the people around you.
The question isn’t whether you have influence.
It’s what you’re doing with it.
Purpose Is More Than Finding Your Calling
We often think about purpose as discovering what we’re supposed to do with our lives. “What was I created to do?”
We want to know how to use our gifts and abilities, what goals to pursue, and whether we’re making a meaningful contribution.
Those are worthwhile questions.
But I wonder if we sometimes overlook the opportunities already in front of us because we’re waiting for something more significant.
Ephesians 2:10 reminds us:
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
We were created in Christ for good works, and those works include the ordinary ways we serve, encourage, teach, help, and love the people God places in our lives.
Living purposefully isn’t just about what we accomplish. It’s also about how we carry out our responsibilities and how we treat people along the way.
You don’t have to wait for a different season of life to begin living purposefully.
What Kind of Influence Are You Having?
Here’s where I think we need to challenge ourselves.
It’s easy to recognize the influence other people have had on us. We remember the people who encouraged us, taught us, and helped us grow.
We also remember the people whose words or actions discouraged us.
But how often do we stop to consider the influence we’re having on others?
Think about your everyday interactions.
When someone shares an idea, are you quick to point out why it won’t work, or do you help them think through the possibilities?
When someone makes a mistake, do you make them feel foolish, or do you help them learn?
When you disagree with someone, are you more concerned with proving your point or having a productive conversation?
And when someone is struggling, do your words leave them feeling more discouraged or more hopeful?
These aren’t questions about being agreeable or avoiding difficult conversations.
Some of the people who have influenced me most positively were willing to challenge me. They didn’t simply tell me what I wanted to hear. They spoke truth, asked hard questions, and encouraged me to grow.
But they did it with respect, humility, and genuine concern.
Strong Convictions Can Be Expressed with Grace
I’ve spent years thinking about the kind of influence I want to have.
I believe truth matters. I believe people can learn, change, and grow. And I don’t believe loving someone means agreeing with every choice they make.
But I also believe the way we communicate our convictions matters.
Here are a few principles I want to live by:
- Be bold without belittling.
- Challenge without shaming.
- Speak truth with grace and humility.
- Respect people even when you disagree with their choices.
- Point people toward Christ, not toward admiration of yourself.
Colossians 4:6 reminds us to let our conversation be full of grace, seasoned with salt.
We can speak truth without being harsh. We can challenge someone without humiliating them. We can disagree without treating another person as an enemy.
And we can use whatever influence we have to encourage others toward what is good and true.
The goal isn’t to have everyone admire us or agree with us.
It’s to be faithful in the way we represent Christ.
Be Intentional with the Influence You Have
Hebrews 12:1 reminds us that we’re surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and calls us to run the race marked out for us with perseverance.
The writer points back to the faithful examples in Hebrews 11—people who trusted God and persevered through difficult circumstances.
Their examples encourage us to keep going. And Hebrews 12:2 directs our attention to Jesus, the one on whom our faith depends.
We can also learn from the faithful examples God has placed in our lives.
But we also have an opportunity to be that kind of influence for someone else.
You don’t need to do something extraordinary to begin.
Pay attention to the people in front of you. Don’t overlook opportunities to encourage, help, teach, or serve because you’re waiting for something bigger.
Be intentional with your words and actions. Consider what you’re communicating through your attitudes, responses, and everyday choices. Are you helping people grow? Are you demonstrating the character of Christ?
Be faithful with the opportunities God gives you. You can’t control how others respond to your influence, and you may never know the difference you’ve made. But you can choose to act with wisdom, courage, humility, and love.
Think about the people you’ll interact with this week.
What opportunities might you have to encourage someone? To offer wise counsel? To challenge someone graciously? To demonstrate faithfulness in an ordinary situation?
You don’t have to be influential to have influence.
You already have opportunities to make a difference.
What will you do with them?
