Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1
Give instructionto a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
Proverbs 9:9
Last week, I talked with an old friend. She and I were Army wives together. We are both Christians, she Catholic and I non-denominational. It was this sweet friend who encouraged me to be the mom and wife God had been calling me to be. The truth was that God was calling me to be drastically different than the way I had been raised – by my single mother who worked full-time. God was calling me to be a wife and on top of that, He called me to homeschool. Yikes!
It was a period in my life that was beyond scary. I had few friends, most of whom were more stressed than I was being that our husbands were never home. I had moved to a completely different part of the country. I had no family whatsoever. I felt very alone. I believe, however, God sent us to each other to lift each other up and encourage one another. She would ask me questions about why I believed what I believed, and I questioned her too. We learned a lot about the iron-clad fence of religion that divided us, and we gained a great deal of respect for each other and often learned to agree to disagree.
Probably the greatest thing she offered was herself and her time. She was unapologetically imperfect, which made me love her even more. She didn’t know it at the time, but it was because of her that I followed God so intentionally. She challenged me daily to live my life to God’s calling and devote my life to Him and my family. She encouraged me in a way that no other person to date ever has.
So I ask you: Who are you mentoring? Who are you sharing your gifts with? As Christian women, we are called to sharing our knowledge with others. We are already called to live our lives for Christ right where we are. Who are you discipling? Who are you sharing life with? I hope and pray that you are pouring what you have learned into another person’s heart so that it may grow them up to be the person God is calling them to be. I know that without my friend, I may not have had the courage to be who God made me to be.
With love,
Amanda
