At the Well - A Call To Mentor

Before beginning the discussion from At the Well, I want to share a little about "scents". I have a fascination/borderline obsession with scents! I like for things to smell good, my home, self, clothes, carpets etc. For my home I have tried every product on the market- plug ins, spray fresheners, candles, gels, oils, scented wax, you name it! In beauty products, my choice is the one with the strongest scent, soaps, shampoos, lotions, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, the stronger the scent, the better for me!

There are a few scents that you can just "experience." Think about the scent of a baby fresh out of the tub and lotioned up..yum! What about fresh, clean sheets that you climb into getting ready for bed. Wonderful huh?? Fresh from the oven apple pie or a delicious dinner cooking.

Now, I will confess as a mother to boys that good scents can be achieved by 'faking it". Febreeze is a mother's best friend at times. On rare occasions, if a favorite shirt is in the dirty clothes basket and a child is begging to wear it, a little Febreeze spray freshens it right up! Don't ask me how I know that!! On other rare occasions, I may go for a quick walk before I have to be somewhere. A little bit of floral body spray gives a quick boost of freshness! But, these freshen ups, are not going to last because the scent was applied to a dirty object. The scent experts say that layering scents is the most powerful way to have long lasting scent. Soap, then lotion and then perfume keeps a long lasting supply of scents through the day. The reason this works better than just freshening up is because you begin clean and fresh. This is called a 'genuine" scent.

Genuine is important because there is nothing covered up, but pureness is what comes through. This brings us to today's topic is "A Call To Mentor". The discussion questions are:

How can we mentor in ways that are pleasing to God?
How can we be sure the word of God is not maligned in the way we mentor and learn?

Mentoring means that someone is watching and learning from you. As Christian women, people are watching us. They are looking for something genuine. Genuine is being the same regardless of the circumstances, it is the thing we are striving for, that keeps us going. To mentor in ways that are pleasing to God, means that we must BE pleasing to God. Genuine does not mean perfect, it means transparent. Being open and willing to share how the mistakes of life can be great learning experiences. It has been said that to teach, one must have learned and to lead one must have trod the path. Some characteristics to strive for that are pleasing the Lord that can flow through our lives are:

love

joy

peace

patience

kindness

goodness

faithfulness

self control

humility

strength

dignity

courage

forgiveness

meekness

steadfastness

gentleness

quiet heart

modesty

pureness

encourages others

always points to God

These are very different from some of these which are not what God has called women to be.

loud

selfish

angry

irritated

revengeful

lustful

self centered

greedy

discontent

slanderous

unforgiveness

bitterness

vain

hatred

jealousy

malicious

self-seeking

prideful

discourages others

always points to self

Now, if we are honest, these "bad qualities" have probably occurred in each of our lives at one time or another. It is not about how "bad" or "good" we are, it is about striving to be what God wants us to be, recognizing the traits that are not pleasing to Him, embracing the qualities that are pleasing to Him and being able to share, mentor and guide others on the path to godly womanhood.

By following God's Word and striving to have His qualities in us, what a beautiful blessing it is to mentor or have others follow us, as we follow Him!

Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel, rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. I Peter 3:3,4