Everyone has someone who has impacted their lives, whether it’s a relative, a celebrity, or a best friend. Just like the saying, “iron sharpens iron”, people sharpen people. My greatest influence is Aaron Zustiak. He’s the middle school youth pastor at my church. He teaches middle schoolers and high schoolers. To give you an idea of what kind of person he is, think of it this way... he is very spiritually mature, but has lots of silly conversations. He’s always joking about how his family, the Zustiaks, are an odd bunch, which I think is totally true. He treats us like we’re his best friends, like equals. Instead of preaching at us, he preaches with us. That, to me, is a very rare trait.
Now, you may be wondering how he has influenced me. Why I’ve chosen to write about him instead of my Mom or best friend. That’s because even back when I barely knew him he was influencing me. It was the summer before my 6th grade year when I started to know more about him more. Aaron asked me to play kajone in the youth group’s worship band. So I tried it. Thanks to him, now I’m the drummer in our band.
Another time, he influenced me was when he asked me to sing for a few songs in the band. I wasn’t very confident and didn’t sound that good, but it inspired me. Recently I learned the ukulele and started to write music. I still struggle with not believing in myself, but when I think back to that night he had me sing, I remember that someone still believes in me.
Lastly and certainly not least, the way he impacted me the most was this summer. I struggled with a lot of crazy things. So I talked to him about it. He listened and prayed for me. He also gave me some advice that really helped me a lot. If it weren’t for him, I’d still be really stressed and struggling. So in short, I would not be the person I am today without Aaron Zustiak, my youth leader. #God #Influence #Music #Greatness
