a need for discipling

Something I have always wanted in my life was a mentor. When I was a teenager, I had a girl that was in Seminary and she mentored me for a couple of years. Pretty much anything and everything going on in my life, I shared with her. Just having someone older than me to pray for me and give me wisdom, helped get me through those difficult teenage years. I will always be grateful for Julie Mitchell. She made a huge impact on my life and taught me how to rely on God for everything.

When I was twenty years old, I dated a guy that was in Seminary and he had a friend that was married. They lived in Seminary housing and we were at their house constantly. Casey was about four years older than me but she became a very close friend. She taught me so much about how to take care of my home and how to be a Godly woman. She was from Georgia and a true Southern Belle. She was the one that taught me the importance of always having sweet tea in the house and always having all the ingredients needed for a batch of chocolate chip cookies. If anyone made a surprise visit, I could always make cookies! My love for baking really started when I met Casey. If you were to come to my house today, you would think I am a little nutty when it comes to baking ingredients. I've got self rising flour, all purpose flour and even cake flour. Oh and a ton of cake mixes that just need a little sour cream or cream cheese added to make something divine. I've got enough butter in my fridge and powdered sugar in my pantry to make butter cream frosting for at least ten cakes. And that's what I learned from Casey. She was incredibly domestic and I decided I wanted to be like her when I grew up. I'm still trying.

There have been some amazing women come my way and teach me so much about what it is to truly serve God. I pray that I have been someone like the ladies I have just mentioned to someone else. I heard Pastor Tommy Nelson say one time that we should always be discipling someone and someone should always be discipling us. This process should never end. Pastors should have someone in their lives discipling them while they are discipling others. I think discipling is totally different that accountability. My peers can hold me accountable but my peers cannot disciple me. My peers are not real sure on how to discipline or what works with their children. My peers have not been married twenty years. My peers are trying to figur elife out with little kids just like me. At this stage in my life, I need a woman that has raised children and had to rely on God to teach her how to pray for her children. I need a woman that understands the ups and downs of marriage but has learned how to submit that relationship in prayer daily. She has learned what it truly means to serve her husband, her children and other people.

I crave this type of woman in my life. Someone that can pour into me all the wisdom they have learned through the years and even someone that can correct me. Sometimes I need someone to just love on me and encourage me. Someone to listen and someone I can share my burdens with. A very good friend of mine just began a whole new thing a few weeks ago. She now has a kindergartner and the transition has been tough. The day before her son started school, a precious older woman in her life, handed her a card at church that she had made herself. The card was full of encouraging words about the first day of kindergarten. She knew it would be a tough day for Mommy so she wanted to let my friend know she was praying for her and praying for her son. My friend was so touched by the actions of this woman because she KNEW that she KNEW how my friend was feeling. She had three kindergartners herself years ago. She understood how tough the day would be for Mommy and Son, for she had lived it herself three times before.

Today I am struggling with some things that my peers can't really help me with. Sure, they can pray for me and encourage me but what I am feeling today can't really be put into words. I've been pouring my heart out all morning in prayer as I try to get my home back in order after being gone all last week. But, I wish I had that mentor. I wish I had that older woman in my life to pray for me. Someone that could tell me that they understand my struggles as a Wife and Mother and so much more.

I'm going to pray that God will bring this kind of woman into my life and I am going to pray that God will bring a man into Jeremy's life to disciple him also. We both need that more than ever. I'm reminded of what scripture says about this and it lets me know that what I am desiring is also what God desires for me too.

Titus 2
1You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

3Likewise, 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. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to 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.

6Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.