“Teach the older women to train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” Titus 2:4-5 (NIV)
While I am a true southerner, my parents are not. My dad is from west Texas, and my mom is from New Mexico. When I was just a few months old, my dad was hired as one of the ministers at a church in Louisiana. Leaving everything and everyone they knew, my mom and dad drove from the itty bitty town of Post, Texas, to the thriving metropolis of West Monroe, Louisiana. Well, hardly a metropolis and hardly thriving. Young, lonely and with a baby girl, two older women quickly took my mom under their wings. In fact, soon after my brother was born, my dad went to Trinidad off the coast of Venezuela for a mission trip that lasted a few weeks. My mom became very ill and was not able to take care of her two babies, which included a newborn. One of those ladies took all three of us into her house and took care of us for those weeks. Not only did she and her husband take care of our physical needs, but Mrs. Marge was also able to minister to my mom with lots of encouragement, Bible study and emotional support. Our entire family remained very close to them until they moved away from West Monroe just a few years ago. I also consider her to be a mentor mom to me.
I saw first-hand how the above Titus 2 scripture was lived out in my own life by the older women, the grandmother-type women in my church family who helped mold my mom and then me as I grew older. I am also thankful for a godly mother and a godly mother-in-law who helped shape me into the godly woman that I am today.
We as women have a responsibility to impact the generations behind us to live out God’s purpose in our lives. I have had amazing women who have helped me realize that, and I am purposely trying to pass that down to my own daughter and nieces on a daily basis. While I am far from perfect, I have a Savior who is flawless, and being real, transparent and seeking God’s guidance are all important parts of mentorship.
At the Heartfelt Conference last weekend, many of us tried to show the 2000 women in attendance all of those aspects of the Titus 2 passage. We laughed at Mary and Shellie until our sides hurt. We jumped out of our seats in applause after listening to Mindy tell the story of personal triumph in her own life after her father was convicted of killing her mother when she was a teen and then finding her own path to Jesus. We were in awe of Sadie talking about how her confidence comes from God and not from people around her. And we cried after listening to my sweet Mia tell her story of physical suffering and singing about how God knows her name and how she is loved by Him. We all left with more knowledge about how we can both mentor to the younger (no matter what age you are) and be open to accepting mentorship from the older (no matter what age you are) by wonderful speakers like Adie Camp (Jeremy Camp’s wife) and Dr. Joneal Kirby.
And I got to sing with my mom, who has been a mentor to me for my entire life.
Do you have a mentor? Are you purposefully mentoring someone?
If the answer to these questions is no, you can start now. You may not have a heritage that has included women who spoke God into you, but you can start that cycle for the generations who are following you: your daughters, nieces, granddaughters, etc.
It starts with relationships. And the best way to start a relationship has always been over a meal or just a simple cup of coffee. Start today. Be a mentor. Make a difference.
Have a fabulous week!
For more information about the Heartfelt mentoring ministry, please visit www.heartfeltministries.org.
Comments
J.J. Molstad:
Thank you for this message. I was so incredibly blessed by a handful of women at the same time who mentored me right after I was saved. They all offered so much in their unique ways. And I was so very thankful for the others who became my mentors in later stages of life. It was a blessing to become the mentor and model that nurturing. I jumped at those opportunities and loved it. Sadly, I have lost the mentors but still enjoy the opportunities to be a mentor. In today’s culture, it is a ministry that is badly needed.
Jan 25, 2016
Donna Hale Januchowski:
Missy, I have had several mentors in my life. My first was my daddy. He taught me to treat people equal no matter the color of their skin, amount of money in the bank, how educated they were. This was a time of seperation and prejudice. The greatest example of this happened on Sunday morning. My daddy was preached for a small town church. There only white members and it was known but never spoken that any other skin type was not welcome. Daddy had just started his sermon and he stopped. He was looking at thw back of the auditorium. Of course the rest of us turned around and looked( about 175 people). There at the back stood a black couple. They stood half in between the foyer and tha auditorium. You could see they were unsure of what would happen next. I’ll tell you what happened next. My daddy left the pulpit and walk down the isle. He reach out and shook the man’s hand and escorted the couple to an empty seat. He walked back to the pulpit and finished his sermon. I do not remember what his sermon was about that day. But I have his actions burned in my heart and mind. My daddy passed away just a few months after Sunday. I thank God often for a Godly daddy who was not aftaid to practice what he preached.
Jan 25, 2016
Shellie Tomlinson:
Awesome recap on the ginornous importance of ministering, Missy. Big love to you!!
Jan 25, 2016
Risa Ratliff:
First of all, the conference was phenomenal! Such a blessing to be there and hear from all of you and enjoy it with two of my dearest friends. God was definitely in the house!
As to who has been my mentor, I was raised in a church going family, one that went every time the doors were open. I credit some of my friends, including the two with me last weekend, who instilled in me the need for more than checking off church attendance on the calendar, a need for a deep and meaningful relationship with the Savior. And observing you and your family the last two or three years has grown my boldness to share my faith, so I have mentors who don’t know the influence they’ve had on my life. A good thing for me to remember that all of us influence others, whether or not that is in our plan. :)
We have a program at our congregation called Soul Sisters, also based on Titus 2. Instead of groups, it focuses on developing one on one relationships. I love the group aspect of Heartfelt, though.
Thank you for your willingness to mentor and encouraging others to do the same- love you, sister in Christ!
Jan 25, 2016
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