Mentor? Me? Yes you...

Throughout my life I have had many, and I mean many women impart their wisdom and life lessons into me, mentoring and inspiring me. Of special mention would be the long suffering women of the Emerald Christian Fellowship in Emerald, CQ - you know who you are!

Forgive me if I waffle - skip to the end if you just want the main point of this blog :)

A little about my mentoring journey.

From a strong confident young adult, a bit confused about life at times and just at the beginning of finding freedom in adulthood, I grew to understand the human condition and the hold it had on me (namely my own freewill and the sin that comes with it)

My testimony may not include addictions and abuse, however rebellion was bound up in this soul and opinion ran high. In my struggles I recall people telling me I was from Satan and others saying that my strength was from God. These viewpoints of myself confused my identity even more and concreted a self despising that I was to carry for decades, stealing my confidence around other people and in my abilities.

                      Constant comparisons with other women had me questioning myself - 'Can I?'; 'Can't I?'; "If they can then I can.'; 'If they approve then it must be ok'...... I weighed myself and my character up against others and therein sort acceptance within my own skin.

It wasn't until I was in my early 40's that I started to be the real me...

Though still lacking in confidence and identity, I began to ask ME what I was like rather than relying on other people's analysis.

                      I had a realisation one day. Just before my 40th birthday, it dawned on me...If God my Father had not seen fit to change me even though I had tearfully begged him, perhaps this is the person He had created me to be. So within that revelation, my journey of self discovery within the safe confines of my relationship with Jesus, I started to settle.

What does it look like to accept who we are? Can I be the created design of myself and still grow and change?

I now know that my build is a patented and unique design, not to be duplicated. I have heard comments on my abilities to do this or that, and I do believe that I have been created fearfully and wonderfully, what that looks like though I am still trying to figure out. 

I get on with most people if they could be bothered to sit and talk a while. I have encountered people who don't like me from the 'get go', and those that don't even want to meet me, fair enough. I understand now that I have an effect on people that I cannot control, but mostly I have grown to be aware of other people around me and work at loving.

I am so thankful to the likes of Mary S, Narelle P, My Mother-in-law, Jenny H, Pam, Ricki, Sheila, oh how that list can go on.. There are women who don't know they had an effect on me, Jan, Christine, Vera, Patty, Carol, Carolyn, Ruth.... And then there are those who have imparted so much to my life, yet would think otherwise - Esther, Elisha, Sarah, Jacky, Wendy F, Sue, Jenny, Jo, Helen... 

I simply can't mention them all.

I have held for a couple of decades that mentoring is a critical component of ministry. We could easily replace that word with 'discipleship'. To do as Jesus did, to be an imitator. There is no collective thought in Christianity as we are all unique and special, but there are the same guidelines and standards to which we have been called. Discipling is one of those directives and needs to be deliberate.

'Let the older women instruct the younger women how to...'

Some actively obey, some simply have open hearts/lives/arms. 

Here it is...

I want to call on those who are tired, lack confidence and feel they have nothing to offer. The enemy has stolen from you the joy that should be yours as the daughter of a King, to train up those who are yet to learn.

I sat in front of a dear lady at Church recently. She had a running commentary throughout the worship session and sermon. She commented on how it was done in her day and mocked and mimicked. It was sad, how could anyone have an open heart to hear Jesus while they harp on so much. If we have a strong opinion about everything how can we learn - a closed book or an old wine skin!

The Lord feeds us daily with new wine - but the old wine skin will burst as the new wine expands. Older people generally cannot cope with changes, however older Christians who should be renewed every morning seem to forget that when they were young they had to fight to even clap in Church, let alone pray! They hold on to the 'good old days' but seem to forget the lessons they also had to learn.

Let me finish with this - until your last breath you will be serving the Lord by loving others (or at least that is your calling), If not to receive and impart love, then what is life but existence. 

Answer His call to love - share deliberately. Mentor....... you can change a persons direction with your words, and their lives with your love, the love of Jesus.