In 1949 Louis Zamperini
was adrift and struggling with alcoholism and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
following savage abuse as a prisoner of war in Japan during WWII. Cynthia his
wife was ready to saddle him with divorce papers. It was around this time that
neighbors convinced the young woman to listen to the bold evangelist, a very
young Billy Graham, preaching in a big tent outside downtown Los Angeles.
Cynthia accepted Christ
first, and she told her husband that because of her conversion, she wouldn’t
file for divorce. She asked Louis if he would accompany her to the crusade.
After a week of arguing, she finally persuaded him to go. When Dr. Graham gave
the invitation, Zamperini gave his life to Christ that night in 1949 and his
life was radically changed.
Some years later, Zamperini’s
testimony reached the ears of Billy Graham and Zamperni was invited to give his
testimony at a San Francisco crusade in 1958. Eventually, Zamperini’s harrowing
survival story and conversion to Christ was put into a book entitled Unbroken, which was turned into a major
Hollywood film in 2014. Billy Graham read the book and before Zamperini went to
be with the Lord in 2014 at the age of 96, he wrote him a letter which said:
“Dear Louis, My associate
read me parts of the new book about you yesterday. What a life you have lived.
What a description you have in the book of your conversion to Christ in 1949,
and the great part that [your wife] Cynthia played in it, which I was aware of,
but not in such detail. I had tears in my eyes and praise in my heart for what
God has done through you.”[1]
As I read this story I
thought of the power of influence. Billy Graham didn’t know who was sitting in
that crowd the night Mr. Zamperini came to hear him preach. Billy was just
being obedient to his calling and letting God do the rest. There is no way
Billy could have envisioned what God had in store—that one day Mr. Zamperini
would share the stage with Rev. Graham in fulfilling the Great Commission. Nor
did Billy know that one day as a retired minister that Mr. Zamperini’s
testimony would encourage him, even to the point of tears.
Such is the power of influence.
Like a pebble thrown into a glassy pond, so our lives ripple outward and touch
others for good or ill. The truth is everyone has influence, no matter how big
or small we perceive ourselves. We all influence someone and God expects us to
be good stewards of that influence for His kingdom’s sake.
Christ called us to be
influencers; in His Sermon on the Mount he made these analogies, “You are the
salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be
restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and
trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a
hill cannot be hidden” (Matt. 5:13-14).
Salt preserves, flavors
and creates thirst. Light illuminates offering guidance and hope. God has given
us incredible stewardship of our personal influence. J.R. Miller has said it
well, “There have been meetings of only a moment which have left impressions
for life, for eternity. No one can understand that mysterious thing called
influence. Yet every one of us continually exerts influence, either to heal or
hurt, to bless or curse, to build-up or to break-down.”[2]
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