LONELY? WHAT ABOUT FINDING A MENTOR?

SO, WHY SHOULD I CONSIDER HAVING A MENTOR?

Having written some guidelines for mentoring relationships from the perspective of the mentor, I realized that the story wasn’t complete without some comments from those who are benefiting from the mentoring process.  

I have never had the privilege of having a one on one relationship with a spiritually “older” Christian woman, but I have met a couple of women who have, and I envied them the blessing of having someone invest time in them and their spiritual growth.  Mentees found the relationship invaluable to their Christian walk and still considered their mentor a gift from God, as well as a dear friend.

So, if you are not quite sure how a one on one relationship with a more mature Christian sister might benefit you, consider these thoughts shared by some mentees:

·         JOY – just knowing I’m meeting with my mentor brings me joy.

·         PRAYER WARRIOR – my mentor tracks my life issues, asks about them, and prays with and for me.

·         OVERSEER OF MY SPIRITUAL GROWTH – my mentor keeps me accountable to live a life pleasing to God.  I want to please her too because she’s investing time in me.

·         MOTIVATOR/ENCOURAGER IN THE CALLING OF GOD ON MY LIFE – every week my mentor provides an up to date testimony of how God is at work by sharing how with me what He’s up to in her life.  She encourages me to develop the gift of teaching to which God has recently called me.  She has encouraged me to step outside my relational and ministry comfort zone.

·         CARE GIVER – because my mentor makes time for me and brings my requests before our Father, I feel cared for

·         COUNSELOR – she is a listening ear who shares the wisdom of Christ from a longer experiencing of walking with Him

·         EXAMPLE – of a godly older woman – not perfect, but growing

Another mentee describes how the relationship blesses her in this way: 

·         Having a set starting and ending time together guards our busy schedules.

·         What is said between you stays between you.

·         It’s a blessing to know someone else will send up an SOS for you and you don’t even have to explain the whole story because she just knows you!

·         You can cry if you need to or if it just happens.

·         Someone else can share your burden which they don’t have to fix, just pray for.

·         Because the relationship builds into a friendship, you have the right to graciously “call one another on the carpet” or “call them on their stinkin thinkin” in love, because you really care.

·         Who else is really going to ask you, “How is your time with God?”, and keep encouraging you no matter what?

At the age of 63, I can look back and remember the difficult time I had knowing what being a Christian “looked like” in those days when I was just starting a walk with the Lord.  I wish I had had a mentor to encourage me and consistently pray for me.  

If you have a longing for that kind of relationship in your life, pray, and ask the Lord to provide the godly “older in Christ” woman He has for you.

If you are a older woman who has walked with the Lord a long while but you think maybe you have little to offer – well, that’s just not true.  You can offer your friendship and your desire to pray with a younger woman – and see what God does next.

The most courageous thing you might have to do is ask another woman if she’d be willing to meet with you, pray with you, and encourage you in your walk with the Lord.

If she says yes, you’ll thank the Lord you did.

Psalm 145:3-7

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.  One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.  They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.  They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.  They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.”