Mentoring

For the last 7 weeks, we have been doing Priscilla Shirer's, Bible Study on The Armor of God.  Fifty women signed up for this study!!  5-0!!!  I must say, this is the most bestest study I have ever done!  God's word is amazing....you think you know it, you think you know all about the Armor of God, because you heard all about it as a child and then you learn even more wonderful things that you didn't realize!  Just amazing! I have had the tremendous honor of leading the young adult/college age ladies in our break out small groups.  These girls are awesome!  I love them BIG and will miss my Thursday's with them so much! When we were organizing the study and the small groups, Kelly expressed concern about who should lead this group.  Without hesitation, I said, I will do it! I had been praying for a good while for God to use me, to use me as a mentor to younger women.  He knows my heart and that I have a deep ache to keep young women from going down the same path of destruction that I did.  I also have a heavy heart because I feel like the older woman mentor that we used to see in church has disappeared.  This is sad to me. I was nervous. I had never led a small group before.  All of them are young enough to be my daughters - how would we connect, how would we relate?!   This is why God made me goofy and silly and why I don't see age when I look at a sister in Christ.   I went into this, hoping and praying that I would be a blessing to them, that God would give me the words to make a difference in their lives. Isn't it funny and interesting how our God works?  :) These young women were such a blessing to me!!  They constantly amazed me! Like a good mother, I would bring snacks and we would sit in the floor and talk about the past weeks study and what was going on in their lives.  In my late teens and early 20's, I was not even thinking about doing a bible study.  I was only thinking about me. We had awesome real life talks.  There were things I struggled with and would ask them if they could relate....yes, they did.  There were some questions, we just couldn't answer.  Their bible knowledge was unbelievable!  They are in-to God's word!  They took more notes in their books than I did!!  And they lean on each other!  They all have God Fearing-Truth Telling girl friends.....at this age!!!  They hold each other accountable, they ask each other what something in the Bible or in the study means.  They pray for each other!!!    I LOVE IT!!! I kept thinking.....if I had been into the Word and walked closely with God Fearing-Truth Telling girl friends at that age, maybe I wouldn't have taken my path of destruction.   Then, you see.....I learned in our study that this thought is the enemy attacking me where I am weak!  He knows this because he has studied me my whole life!!  PUNK!  Not today Satan!! I wondered, why you don't see as much of this doing life together in older women?  Do we think we have it all together?  Do we think we know everything?  Do we not have time?  Has age and time made us this way?  Has our life experiences made us this way? I challenge you today - make that connection with a sister in Christ.  Walk this life with her - Lift her up - Pray for her - Encourage her - Cry with her - Laugh with her - Accept her for who she is, her past sin and all - She is a daughter of the ONE TRUE KING, just like you!   Your life will be richer for it!!!