One of the single most influential things in my life has been the parade of older women who have poured into and ministered to me over the course of my life. From Ann Bray to Julie Howerton to Cheri Dobbs to Debbie Houston to Julie Woodruff to Susan Moffitt and a number of others, my life has been unmistakably blessed with a rich spiritual heritage. If you desire to have your life be poured out like a drink offering as you minister to others you might find these thoughts on mentoring from beloved Susan of benefit (a little food for thought for your day).
“I love opportunities that God brings my way to mentor young women and have been so blessed by the depth of relationship that can develop. My experiences have been primarily with young ladies who not only need a spiritual mom, but who also need just a regular mom. Sometimes I think of my experiences as fostering for adults or adopting adult children. I not only try to teach spiritual life habits, but also teach a lot of practical life skills, blending it all together founded on our precious relationship with Jesus.
OK, number 2, balance…..well, basically, I have a messy house and heavy thighs. You have to prioritize. If you prioritize people, you can just forget being slim and trim, and having a neat house, unless those things just come really easily for you. We only have so many hours in a day, and if you are willing to be “on-call” for people, then you are going to have phone calls and text messages coming at you pretty regularly. And you have to get over people seeing a messy house, because your door needs to stay pretty open. If you are working with single moms, you might have extra children at any moment too.
Number 3….incompetent, ABSOLUTELY! I still can’t even refer to it as mentoring….it makes me laugh. I typically feel like I have so little of my own life together, that I laugh when I think that I am trying to help someone else out. One of the sweet girls that I work with out-memorizes and out-studies me all the time. If we are reading a book, I usually am the one who has to say I didn’t get my chapter read…LOL! Do I have it all together? Nope, not at all. But that is the beauty of it….they see me…my messiness, my insecurities, my deep love for Jesus and for His people….me, authentic me. Not some picture of a Godly woman that becomes an idol for both of us, just a simple, striving, daily, persevering…even progressing picture of one who is begging to be sanctified through and through, one who is crying out to be holy as He is holy. I’ve handled it by being honest about it…by allowing God to use my failures and shortcomings to bring comfort to others. Often, where I feel incompetent, God creates a perfect connect….the pieces of the puzzles of our lives fit perfectly and join us together with purpose. No greater joy comes in my life than when God redeems something ugly of mine to bring encouragement and hope to someone who is coming behind me. I have learned to thank Him for my greatest shames, because they have given me a position of authority against the schemes of the enemy. Where I once was ashamed to say I have been, now I find joy in being able to share that I have been there. Only our faithful Father can work such good in the areas that Satan intended to destroy us. Therein lies that tremendous joy of mentoring….opportunity to triumph over the enemy.
Number 4….I try to teach and live by example that the Christian walk is all-inclusive…not one thought, not one action, not one choice is excluded. We address being in the Word daily, memorizing, studying, praying the Word; relationships with believers and unbelievers, walking in the Spirit with the fruit of the Spirit, how to make decisions, how to demonstrate love to others, parenting skills, body image issues, health issues, basic survival skills, minor car maintainance….you name it. Whatever the need, we try to address it.
Number 5….Yes, still mentoring. Hope to be mentoring until the day I go to be with Jesus!”
No matter where you find yourself in life right now may Susan’s wise words be an encouragement to you to put Titus 2 into practice, because chances are if you’re reading this blog…you’re capable of becoming a mentor, a spiritual influence in someone else’s precious life.
So….I want to make sure I hit your specific questions. The value of mentoring is the deep, deep abundance of life that you get to experience as you walk with another individual, as you join them on this journey. You cry hard. You laugh hard. You get to be there for them when babies are born, when husbands fail, when jobs are lost, when life just seems so overwhelming. Sometimes I know that I am the only one telling a sweet young girl that I love her….everybody needs to know that somebody loves them. Regina, could you communicate that….everybody needs to feel that someone loves them and that someone is praying for them.
OK, number 2, balance…..well, basically, I have a messy house and heavy thighs. You have to prioritize. If you prioritize people, you can just forget being slim and trim, and having a neat house, unless those things just come really easily for you. We only have so many hours in a day, and if you are willing to be “on-call” for people, then you are going to have phone calls and text messages coming at you pretty regularly. And you have to get over people seeing a messy house, because your door needs to stay pretty open. If you are working with single moms, you might have extra children at any moment too.Number 3….incompetent, ABSOLUTELY! I still can’t even refer to it as mentoring….it makes me laugh. I typically feel like I have so little of my own life together, that I laugh when I think that I am trying to help someone else out. One of the sweet girls that I work with out-memorizes and out-studies me all the time. If we are reading a book, I usually am the one who has to say I didn’t get my chapter read…LOL! Do I have it all together? Nope, not at all. But that is the beauty of it….they see me…my messiness, my insecurities, my deep love for Jesus and for His people….me, authentic me. Not some picture of a Godly woman that becomes an idol for both of us, just a simple, striving, daily, persevering…even progressing picture of one who is begging to be sanctified through and through, one who is crying out to be holy as He is holy. I’ve handled it by being honest about it…by allowing God to use my failures and shortcomings to bring comfort to others. Often, where I feel incompetent, God creates a perfect connect….the pieces of the puzzles of our lives fit perfectly and join us together with purpose. No greater joy comes in my life than when God redeems something ugly of mine to bring encouragement and hope to someone who is coming behind me. I have learned to thank Him for my greatest shames, because they have given me a position of authority against the schemes of the enemy. Where I once was ashamed to say I have been, now I find joy in being able to share that I have been there. Only our faithful Father can work such good in the areas that Satan intended to destroy us. Therein lies that tremendous joy of mentoring….opportunity to triumph over the enemy.
