“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,…” Titus 2:3-4 (NIV)
There are several verses in the Bible instructing us to listen to those older or with more experience than us. It’s not because God doesn’t think we’re capable – it’s to help save us a lot of time and energy that would otherwise be wasted making mistakes and getting back on track.
God has been bringing so many wonderful, wise women into my life lately and I’m loving what I’m learning from them. One such instance happened recently when a job opportunity came across my desk. I had dedicated the day to writing blogs (one of my favorite past times) and while this opportunity looked promising (almost too promising) I could see hours being wasted researching and checking it out and then… my time to write would be over.
So, God brought to mind a wise woman in my circle and I reached out to her. She has great experience in this area and so I thought if I asked her if this opportunity showed her red flags or sounded legit, then I would have my answer. She promptly replied, going above and beyond in her response, and saved me hours of wasted time, something I don’t have a lot of.
Last week I was asked to pray about something extremely important. I sought the counsel of my husband and then asked him if I should reach out to our pastor and ask for prayer too. He readily agreed so I did; and my pastor gave some much needed wisdom as well. I used the steps that he suggested and felt real peace that the decision, while extremely hard and sad, was the best one for everyone involved.
I have some amazing spiritual mentors, parenting mentors and even a few marriage mentors. Some may not even know how important their example is because I watch and admire their godly lifestyle from afar, picking up ideas here and there as I see them interacting with their spouses and children. I hope that I also am able to encourage others in various areas in their lives as well – not because my opinions are so wonderful but because that’s part of the instructions God gives to us. He not only wants us to seek wisdom from godly women and spiritual heads in the church, but He wants us to share that wisdom we learn with others who are a little further behind us on the journey because they are younger.
Isn’t it wonderful the way God designed things? Not only does He love us enough to provide wisdom and teaching for us… but He then knows the joy we will have if we pay it forward and share that wisdom with others along the way. He also knows that in order to truly hear the wisdom shared and to be able to accurately share the wisdom given, we need to be in His word, seeking His direction all the time.
I’m very thankful for the godly husband I’ve been blessed with, the wonderful women God has allowed to cross my path and the wisdom of the pastors in our church to continue to guide me in my relationship with my Heavenly Father.
If you don’t have any mentor, I would encourage you to ask God to bring the right ones into your life. When we ask with an expectant heart, He always provides the best answer.
© Cheri Swalwell 2017