INFLUENCE by J. E. Green

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 15, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 15.

INFLUENCE

By J. E. Green

A KNITTING-NEEDLE is a very small instrument; we would hardly think it could wield any influence, but I will tell you of one that did.

In beginning a piece of knitting work I got one needle in that was a very little larger than the others. Nearly every time I came to that needle I mentally pronounced it a nuisance; and at last when the stocking was almost done, I took it out and put in a finer one. When I began the other stocking I used the finer needle, but soon saw that my work was not all right. It was hard and unyielding and smaller, not much like the first one; I disliked to believe that it was owing to the absence of the larger needle, but after a time I concluded to try it and see. So I put in the coarse needle, and soon my work became soft and pliable; and now I feel very much attached to the despised needle.

There are many lessons to be learned from this little incident. People go in and out among us, quiet, unassuming people, so much so that we think they are of not much use in the world; we give them no credit for any influence, sometimes we almost pronounce them nuisances, but after a time they leave us, perhaps forever, and then we discover that they did have a great influence, altho it was wielded so quietly that, like the knitting-needle, we did not perceive it. It is not for us to judge our fellow-men; each one has a place and a calling, and one may not know whether his neighbor is filling his place as God would have him or not.

Even little children have an influence, and they may make it felt for good or bad, even as the knitting-needle did.

How good it will be if at last the Master can say unto us, “Well done, you have exerted a good influence, have done a good work”!

J. E. GREEN.