AT THE WELL..."Sister/Sister" -a call to mentoring

A few months back, a blogging friend of mine, CHELSEY, envisioned a new ministry that would allow women to meet together and discuss topics that would thrust them into a deeper walk with the Lord much like the woman in Titus 2 that we read about in the Bible. I am so very humbled that in the prep stages of this new ministry that she would approach me and and ask if I would consider to be part of the writing team. WOW! To be grouped with the awesome ladies that are part of AT THE WELL is an unbelievable honor. They are all great women of God and are seasoned writers.

We meet together each and every Monday and discuss some awesome topics. This week I am the leading contributor and I was able to select what topic I would like to bring to the well. Immediately, I knew I wanted to address the subject of MENTORING. A subject that is near to my heart.

Y Y Y Y

SISTER/SISTER

How many times have you heard yourself say, "If only I had known then what I know now?" You may be thinking of something as simple as finding a way to stay dry when changing a diaper or something as important as how to balance a career and a family.

SISTER/SISTER is not referring to your relationship with female siblings. This is a call that I believe is placed on every Christian woman by God our Father. Somewhere along the line, I believe nearly every woman wishes she had another woman, (perhaps an older and more experienced) to help her with the twists and the turns of life.

? HAVE YOU EVER BEEN

MENTORED BY SOMEONE ?

We live in an age now where we no longer have the strong generational ties that we used to have. Think about this...

• grown children live hundreds of miles away from their parents.
• Older parents are residing in nursing homes.
• Teen-age girls are raising babies.

Life is just NOT what it used to be!

Can you think back and name a special person who has molded you? who has invested in you? encouraged you? I have several friendships but when I think about the molding and the investing - I have to narrow that list down to THREE.

The first one I think of is a childhood friend. The second is a friend from my childbearing years. The third is a close friend I currently have. The mentoring friend that I would like to bring attention to is my friend Lynne. Lynne invested in me as a young mother. Lynne came into my life as a neighbor and she became someone that I looked up to. Lynne was not the kind of friend that a young 25 year old would gravitate towards. See Lynne was 12 years older than me! At the age of 37, I considered my new friend as an older woman! (oh boy that could get me in trouble!!)

The connection between us began as we shared stories of our pregnancies. She was pregnant with her first child, I with my 3rd. We shared stories of swollen feet, bad indigestion, how much weight we had gained and the anticipation of our babies arrival! During our special times together, Lynne taught me so much! She taught me how to be brave, how to bake a RICH chocolate cake, how to live on a budget and how to make important things important!

Lynne was a TITUS friend to me during those molding years. In the book of Titus, Paul is telling his younger friend Titus, who is his partner in ministry and student in the Lord, about the kind of relationship women in God's family are to have with one another...

"Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored." -TITUS 2:3-5

Paul is reminding Titus that Christian women should be doing things far differently as they grow older in their faith and as they learn to manage life more effectively. In the more mature years (and that does not necessarily mean AGE as it does MATURITY!), the Christian woman is to teach and encourage the younger woman.

? WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU

LOOK FOR IN A CHRISTIAN MENTOR ?

How can one become a mentoring woman like the one Paul is describing? It is NOT through sermons, but it is by the example of how she lives her life. A more mature Christian woman who has learned when to speak and when not to speak; and who reflects a genuine heart for the Lord will be a living and breathing sermon! (If neccesary use words...in other words, let your life speak for itself!)

To become a SISTER/SISTER (or a Christian mentor) is to accept the call to be a prayer warrior and a mentor.

The term "mentor" comes from the famous Homer's epic poem, THE ODYSSEY. King Odyssey is leaving to fight in the Trojan war, the King gives charge to his trusted friend, Mentor to care for his son and to take care of his household while he is away at war. In the King's absence, Mentor trained his son in all the ways that a father would train his son. Therefore when we use the word "mentor" it is referring to someone who is a trusted counselor, a guide, a tutor or a coach.

God values the "older" woman and He challenges her to share her wealth of experience. Growing older" is NOT becoming obsolete, outdated or antique!

• Growing older is having the ability to speak about God!
• Growing older has the abiltiy to speak about His faithfulness, His redemptive power and His willingness to provide for His children!
• Growing older is having the ability to speak about the wisdom He gives for child rearing, homemaking and the guidelines for marriage and living!
• An "older woman" is one who has walked with Him in the valleys, in the meadows and the mountains of life!
• An "older woman", a godly mentor...has a lot to share with others!

At this point, you might be thinking that you do not have anything to share. You might consider yourself a simple woman. I used to think like that too, until one day I took a piece a paper out and began to write down all of the things that God has brought me thru (ie: college, working, marriage, children, etc) and before I knew it I had a LONG list of experiences!

It does NOT matter what season of life you find yourself in, each of us have experiences that God can use!!

• You may be at the age of 80... you have MUCH to offer a 40 year old!
• You may be at the age of 20... you have MUCH to offer a 15 year old young lady!

EVERYBODY IS "OLDER" THAN SOMEONE!

TITUS 2 IS A CLEAR AND POWERFUL CALL TO WOMEN TODAY:

• For older women to model
• and for younger women to learn!

? HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT TO PURSUE

A GODLY MENTORING RELATIONSHIP ?

1. BE PURPOSEFUL

GALATIANS 5:22, 23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

2. BE CREATIVE

PSALMS 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

3. BE A LISTENER

PSALMS 41:12 "As for me, thou dost uphold me in my integrity, and Thou dost set me in Thy presence forever."

4. BE REAL

PHILIPPIANS 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."

5. BE AVAILABLE

ISAIAH 13:4 "Follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him."

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A MENTORING RELATIONSHIP?

I have given some simple steps to take if you desire to be a godly mentor. My advice here today AT THE WELL, is if you seek to be a mentor...JUST BE ONE!

Please leave me your comments on this subject of SISTER/SISTER and if you have a posting today on this subject...link it here. (be sure to link us to your mentoring posting and not just your blogpage!)