Sometimes I write a blog basically to just write out my heart or sometimes I get a little "high" on my horse and think people actually want to hear my opinion..ha! funny....
I read a blog post yesterday and I have to say...I felt like I was writing it myself.
If you want to read it before you go on here go ahead and check it out here.
I feel like the blog was written incredibly tastefully. Women's ministry has been the same for quite some time now and I am not saying it needs to change but I am saying there are specific reasons my generation isn't there. I cannot and will not speak for the women in my generation but I will tell you what I crave and desire.
I have a huge desire to see women of different generations create lasting relationships in our church. Here's the problem though...we're both scared of each other. The women in my grandma's generation were taught to be to themselves. They were raised on legalistic religion and mentoring wasn't a part of that...and neither was growing spiritually in public (speaking, mentoring, teaching etc.). The women in my generation are hungry for it all and want to speak about it and be involved and speak out! Those are two drastic differences.
I have created a friendship with my mentor. During our pre-marital counseling we were advised by our pastor to find mentors. So we just thought we would take it into our own hands and picked a couple we thought would be a good couple to mentor us. They agreed...but it didn't work out. So we asked another couple and they didn't want to and we asked another couple and they felt they weren't called to that. So we finally got our senses together and prayed about it. Together this couple (who we really didn't know that well) was laid on both of our hearts. We asked them...they prayed about it and we've established a lasting relationship and friendship with this couple for more than two years. My friend..my mentor has been a HUGE influence in my life. Somehow I encourage her and she tremendously encourages me. Was I intimidated? yes! Was she? yes! But we moved past that and I wouldn't trade our relationship for the world. This is what I desire for the women in my generation. To be mentored and to mentor. Through her I can learn all about being a woman of God...a godly mother, wife and friend. And we still talk about Jesus all of the time.
It's in women's ministry that we think we need to cater to "women". So we need pink, pretty, lace and frilly things with fat free meals. We need pretty pens and books and "relaxing" schedule. None of this is bad but personally what I want? I want to come to a conference or a retreat with an empty notebook and I want to leave with no more room left in that notebook. I want to be fed Jesus! To me this is precious time away from my family and I want it to be worth it. I want to be encouraged as a daughter of Christ...not how I need to be more like the Proverbs 31 woman. All my life I was taught about her and all I ever felt from that passage was that I needed to be better...I should be up before my family and getting household chores done before they awake not while they are awake...never once was I taught about the heart of the proverbs 31 woman. I figured that out on my own years after I was married and honestly didn't crack the Bible open to that specific chapter...I want to be equipped to mentor, to teach the gospel to other women and to be a true disciple...I want to learn how to truly study the Bible and apply it to my life as a follower of Christ...not just as a mom and submissive wife. Because truth is...IF Christ is at the center of your marriage...He guides you in how to be a godly, submissive wife...and IF Christ is at the center of your life...He will guide you in how to be a godly mother.
There's this woman in my life...she is a mentor at heart. She has a passion for it and she was obedient to God in following his instructions. She prayed for women to mentor and God would place names on her heart. She would write them down until God said "done"..and no more names were given to her. She put so much energy and time into 4 women's lives. She opened her home on a weekly basis and poured her heart into us and showed us the love of Jesus. She organized a weekend away where there was no schedule except to watch some conference clips that filled our notebooks with Jesus! I feel like this is what the women in the church need. How do we get it?
This is great Stacie. I didn't read the other post but I can imagine what it said. The Lord has placed mentoring on my heart for years. My own desperate need, my husbands and for younger women too. I pray that I can be brave on both sides. Stepping out to be a mentor and reaching out to an older women for encouragement.
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