When I was a young woman – new in the faith – several older Christian women came alongside me, giving me a safe space to grapple with the challenging situations I faced, sharing with me how their faith grew during their struggles, and pointing me to Jesus and God’s Word.
What I learned from those women impacted my life in immeasurable ways. Those women of faith were obedient to Titus 2:3-5: “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”
A Listening Heart
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Even though I valued each of those older women, I wanted one woman to be my go-to person. I prayed and asked Joy to be my mentor. Humbled and honored, she agreed. She generously poured love and encouragement into me for years. Each time I struggled, she listened and then pointed me to Jesus. I continue to carry her wisdom and love with me. I’m forever grateful for her.
There isn’t a specific age when we shift from being younger women to older women. What does shift is a desire to follow the command to pour love into the next generation through mentoring. With the hard pull to align with ungodly theology and participate in behaviors contrary to God’s Word in our culture, older Christian women mentoring younger women in the faith has never been more needed or more important. Satan is fighting hard to keep them from living out their faith.
These younger women don’t care about your wrinkles, or if your home is messy, or whether or not you use Snapchat. Instead, they are hungry to come alongside a woman who knows Jesus and loves to study God’s Word. One who walks out her faith, especially when she is struggling. One who is willing and eager to listen. One who will love her unconditionally. You being authentically you is just what she needs!
Mentoring Provides Opportunities to Love the Next Generation
Over the last twelve years, it has been an honor to mentor several young women who love Jesus and desire to grow stronger in their faith. Mentoring offers ample opportunities to pour love into them by:
- Giving her a safe space to grapple with challenging situations. When you invite a younger woman to share what’s troubling her without judging her, she feels heard and loved unconditionally. Many of these younger women grapple with very mature issues and value the opportunity to ask questions or discuss topics that may be embarrassing to discuss with their parents or their peers. She will feel most loved when you simply listen.
- Sharing the struggles you’ve faced and how your faith grew during them. When a younger woman is in “the thick of it,” she often feels she’s the only one experiencing her struggle. She can’t envision any good coming out of her tough times. Sharing your experiences and how those very struggles deepened your faith allow her to see she’s not alone. Explaining how those struggles shaped you into the woman you are now encourages her to lean on Jesus and trust God’s best for her.
- Pointing her to Jesus and God’s Word. As you and I grew in our faith, we’ve likely been convicted time and again that we can’t live one minute without Jesus. We’ve learned putting God’s Word in our mind and on our hearts strengthens us and equips us for whatever life throws our way. We love the next generation of believers when we point them to Jesus as the answer for all of life’s questions. Modeling a love and hunger for God’s Word encourages her to seek His truth for her life.
You may feel you could list many reasons why you aren’t the right woman for this very important job, but I assure you God knows you are! When God promoted Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, He said, “as I was with Moses, so I will be with you,” (Joshua 3:7). God WILL be with you. He will guide you. He will equip you to mentor (lead) just as he did for Joshua.
YOU, in all your uniqueness and quirks, are the perfect woman to mentor a younger believer. Your wisdom and love are just what she needs. Titus 2 woman, will you join me in loving the next generation through mentoring?
This week’s guest post by Melony Brown, a dear friend, and CCC sister, is sure to inspire you to consider mentoring the next generation.
Bio: Through her writing, speaking, and podcasting, Melony Brown seeks to encourage, inspire, and offer hope to those who are facing life’s tough challenges. Over 100 powerful stories of women who’ve fought to overcome various struggles and what they learned are available on her website, melonybrown.com, and on her podcast, Zigzag & 1. She’s been married to her college sweetheart, Jeff, for 28 years. They have two amazing sons.
