The Importance of Mentors
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning.” Proverbs 9:9
I can’t imagine my life without older women in it. By older women, I simply mean those who are just a little bit ahead of me in my stage of life. I can go to these women and ask for advice about ANYTHING, without ever feeling any ounce of judgment or ridicule. Do you have “women” in your life like that?
I remember the peer pressures of being in middle school. But I also remember the Christian high school girl I went to for advice on how to handle these pressures in a godly manner. I remember my first week of college. I was out on my own for the first time in my life. I had time that needed to be managed. I had priorities that needed to be determined. And I had decisions I needed to make. And although my “older woman” wasn’t actually at school with me, anytime I needed wisdom, she was just a phone call away.
I remember my first day as a counselor at Greystone. And I will never forget the friend that introduced herself to me when I arrived. She had been a Greystone girl for years. She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. And she eventually became that “older woman” in my life during all my years at camp. I sought her advice anytime I had a new experience that I was unsure of what to do.
I love how The Message portrays this type of mentoring. I Thessalonians 2:6-8 says, “Even though we had some standing as Christ’s apostles, we never threw our weight around or tried to come across as important, with you or anyone else. We weren’t aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.”
My prayer for you is that you will find wise, Godly “older women” in your life just as Paul describes. Women that give you advice, not judgment. Women that give you their hearts, not criticism. Your stage of life will continue to change. Seasons will come and go. But the impact an “older woman” could have in your life, will last forever.