I Spy God

As many of you know, I mentor a young lady named Hayley.  I’ve written about her before in my posts:  Watercolor Blessings  and  Stand up.  We’ve been meeting now for almost a year and although I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing when we began to meet…surprisingly I have been doing something right.

I don’t know how that happened…obviously God is VERY MUCH HANDS ON in this relationship because believe me, I am a huge mess and certainly NOT tooting my own horn here.  I am very capable of and am probably causing serious permanent damage to this poor, beautiful girl, so praise God He knows how to shut my mouth and offer discernment!!

Poor Hayley.

But…I was asked by my pastor to speak, along with some other people, in a sermon this past Sunday called:  “I’m going to get serious about my faith!”  from his “Next Year’s Going to be Different” series.

Different topics were covered: Prayer, Devotions, Discipleship, Evangelism, Memorization, etc… and he asked me to speak on Mentoring.  I was stunned to say the least.  “But I don’t really know what I’m doing!!” I said.  “I might be totally messing Hayley up!!”  He assured me he still wanted me to speak and suggested that perhaps I do some research on the topic.

Y’know what I found??

It seems that even though I am unsure, that I question why on earth God called me to mentor Hayley; What have I to offer when there are so many wiser, smarter, calmer, kinder, gentler and much more qualified women in the church than me? that He gave me reassurance.

What God has taught me through mentoring Hayley is that being a mentor is not the image I had in my head of the I’m-so-wise-and-holy-you-will-learn-amazing-and-wonderful-spiritual-truths-from-me teacher…

Because yeah, I am faaaar from that…

But instead, all I need to offer is a heart for God and my friendship.

As I researched, He led me to a great article How Christian Woman Can Mentor and Be Mentored, which reiterated that exact point.

Of course, being a mentor is a scary thing…

“Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”   James 3:1

but God calls each one of us to it…

“Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so 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, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”   Titus 2:3-5

So I encourage you.

We can be mentored at any age…I have several women in my life whom I look up to, respect tremendously and go to when I need advice or have a question about something.  We don’t meet regularly and most of them probably don’t realize that they are mentoring me, but they offer wisdom, understanding and clarity when I need it.

If you think you aren’t qualified to mentor someone, kick that thought right out of your head.  If you are asked a question that you don’t know an answer to, find someone who does.  If you don’t know what to say, ask God to give you the words.  Just open your heart, admit your failures, love unconditionally and I assure you, you will be blessed by it.

Hayley is nearly 25 years younger than me.  Uff…that’s a tough pill to swallow.  But what I have learned from her through this unlikely relationship God brought together is more valuable to me than I can even explain.

She is a gem and I am so blessed to be called her mentor…her friend.