Influence is Stronger than Law

One of the things I heard from friends, as we came to Election Day a little bit ago, was that they were voting in one way or the other so that laws could be enacted. They expressed a desire for control, to make the world a better place, their lives easier, and their consciences clearer by seeing controls put on, again, in one direction or the other. Having worked with middle school and High school students for over 25 years, I came to see that living influentially was more effective than making them obey rules. Having my own children taught me the same thing. My kids and my youth group students had very, very short lists of rules when they were under my care. Basically, our kids were told that we had to know where they were at all times. My youth groups were told that they could not wander off and that they were expected to participate. Beyond those things, everything was a conversation about how human beings thrive when they live and work together with each other and with God. For myself, I found that I had to live in a particular manner in order to find the students and our children compliant with keeping the couple of rules I set forth. I had to keep my word. I had to give them a chance to talk and express their opinions and insights, and I had to be consistent in my expression of loving God. Basically, I had rules to live by while they did not. I had learned that influence was stronger than law. Some 40 years ago, Beckie and I were living in Oregon when Mount St. Helens, the volcano, blew. The explosion covered our area with ash even though it was 120 miles away. A bit later when the area closest to the volcano looked like a wasteland, scientists set out groups of gophers and let them try to find a way to live. Gophers, of course, dug holes. In digging holes, and living life as they knew how to live, they naturally brought lower soil up to the ash-laden area. It transformed the area, bringing some 40,000 different species of plants back into growth. Our desire for control can trick us into thinking that we will change hearts and minds by setting out restrictions requirements and punishments. Our living life, in the kingdom of God, instead, demonstrates the goodness of God, health, and peace. Influence abides while laws change. We, as followers of Jesus, have stronger ground on which to stand than law… at least that’s what our Bibles tell us. Blessings, Geoff