Godly Mentors

Godly Mentors

Titus 2 has been on my heart a lot lately, and I wonder if the ideas laid out there might resonate with you, too. In this passage, Paul writes to Titus, whom Paul has sort of adopted as a son in the Christian faith. Paul gives Titus all sorts of life lessons in this book, but I want to zero in on his writing in chapter 2, verses 3-5:

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

Now, you’re a lucky gal if God has gifted you with one woman in your life that can mentor all of those things for you. If so, let me know when she takes on new proteges, because I’m signing up! However, if you’re like me, God has given you a scattering of women who each have their own way of mentoring, one in one area and someone else in another. And, at least in my life, the command above to “older” women hasn’t meant as much someone decades older than me, but rather someone just a few years ahead of me in the journey.

I have the friend that is more studied and wiser in God’s word than me that is constantly teaching me new ways of letting scripture guide my life. I have quite a few Godly friends whose children are just a few years older then mine that help guide and prepare me for the years ahead, giving hope and the occasional warning. I have friends whose marriages are a few steps farther along than ours, and they are a valuable source of insight and inspiration and they give us something to aspire to. I have people who have been writing and ministering to women a little longer than me, and they are so generous to answer questions and show me the ropes.

There are also areas where I need to seek out mentors. I can name a couple of areas where I don’t really have a good model to follow, and my wisdom in those areas suffers because of it. I’m praying God will lead me to people who can show the way clearly.

Do you have people in your life that serve as mentors, even if they don’t do so in any formal capacity? Are there spaces where you need to pray for and seek out someone who is just ahead of you to help you navigate? In which friendships are you the mentor, paving the way for those coming behind you? In what ways do you need to be more intentional about sharing your experiences with women who are just a few steps behind you?

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