God wants to use you in a unique way in someone’s life, and He can provide all you need to follow Him. He asks only for your willingness to trust Him with the concerns in your life. When you do this, there’s no limit to what He can do in and through you.
You may not have to search far for a mentee. God may, instead, bring her to you.
Ask God to provide the people He wants you to influence. Then watch! They may just come out of the woodwork.
One afternoon recently, I stood beside the small storage barn in my back yard, pouring out my heart to Evie on the other end of the phone line. She listened with a great deal of understanding as I shared with her my fears that I’d once again face burnout and that I would someday hit the wall and be crippled by the crash.
I’ll never forget what she told me that day. She said, “Rebecca, just your being aware of this weakness will help you guard against it ever happening and will help bring victory over it.”
Months later, a younger female friend for whom I’ve become an informal mentor shared her heart with me. She told of insecurities in her life that she feared would turn into actions and then into hardness of heart. I began to share with her, “My friend, just your being aware of this weakness will help you.” Once again I discovered afresh the joy and beauty of having and being a mentor.
Others are praying for what you have. You’ll start noticing God-appointments throughout your day–noncoincidental encounters. When you throw your heart into helping others, ministry-out will become one of the most rewarding and healing experiences you could ever have.
Even if you didn’t experience mentoring as a child, you can find and become a mentor as an adult. Start where you are with those women who are in your everyday life. Some relationships may develop into full-blown friendships; some may not.
Just remember that you are a possible mentor to everyone you encounter and to those who are observing your life. Don’t force mentoring to happen or resist it when it does.
Let God express His love through you no matter how long the duration may be, so when other women go through tough times, they’ll want what you have.
God pours into us through someone, and we pour out to someone else. Ministry in, ministry out–that’s the ideal mentoring model.
Rebecca St. James is an author and Grammy and Dove Award-winning singer and songwriter. Lynda Hunter Bjorklund also contributed to this article. She served as founding editor of Single-Parent Family magazine and co-author, along with Rebecca St. James, of SHE: Safe, Healthy and Empowered, published by Tyndale House Publishers, from which this article is adapted. Used by permission.
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