The Power of Influence

The power of influence should never be underestimated…even when the source of that influence is a very young girl.

Back in May 2012 in a small town in Scotland a nine year old girl, Martha Payne, began to take pictures of the lunches she received at school and blogged about them. Her playful, yet instructive, insights caught on within the local towns and eventually found its way into the mainstream news.

When some of the blogs were a bit critical on her “food-o-meter”, the council governing her school decided to ban her from taking any more pictures. As the story grew legs amongst the news community, free speech activists became vocal. Once endorsements from notable people—even famous chef Jamie Oliver—began to surface in support of her actions, the U.K. council rescinded their ban and she now continues to blog.

The heartwarming part of all this, however, is that Martha’s objective was to raise awareness for a charity called Mary’s Meals which donates food to third world countries. After her story become more widespread the charity, which usually receives around £2000, jumped to over £10,000 (from $3,000 to over $10,000).

God has historically used people of all classes and walks of life to fulfill His desires from the Old Testament through today. This story is a great reminder that the influence we have--or can have--on the world around us is attainable by each and every one of us. Perhaps God is intervening and using you, or perhaps He’s letting life play out under its own accord...either way, we should all remember the power of influence we have should never be denied.

Blessings!

Greg Morton
© November 1, 2012

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