Down The Road

WE TEND TO LIKE PEOPLE who look like us. It’s easy to talk to the mom with kids the same age as ours, because we feel safe in commiserating over similar challenges. These relationships are important, because they remind us that the challenges of our days aren’t unique to our own circumstances—they’re just a natural part of motherhood. We find comfort in knowing we aren’t the only ones awake at three in the morning with a baby who won’t sleep.

But I think we need two other kinds of relationships as well. We need mentors, and we need to be mentors. We need someone further down the road, and we need someone who is a few steps behind us too. One has the power to challenge and motivate us, and the other can benefit from our experiences.

MENTORS

I remember hearing a speaker at a women’s conference share Hebrews 13:7-8: “Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness. There should be a consistency that runs through us all. For Jesus doesn’t change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he’s always totally himself” (MSG). She said that in her Bible she wrote down the names of women who have instructed her, and she prayed for women she could mentor in the same way.

I sometimes assume that moms who haven’t had a toddler in thirty years are a bit out of touch with the way life is now—like maybe they’ve glamorized what a three-year-old is actually like. That’s why I love this passage in Hebrews—it reminds me that the truths in God’s Word are timeless, and we have much to learn from the generations that have gone before us.

When we seek biblical wisdom on mothering our kids, those truths that moms depended on thirty or even two hundred years ago hold true for us today. And there is something stabilizing about shifting our minds from the nuances of the day and focusing on the big picture. As I’ve been mentored by moms further down the road than me, I have been filled with hope and support to focus on the unchanging truths that will create a strong foundation for our family. Jesus doesn’t change, and those mommas remind me of that reality.

We need our friends in the trenches, but we also need wisdom from moms who can help us see past the late nights and potty training—the ones who expand our perspective and lovingly remind us to soak up these days.

MENTEES

If we’re being poured into, we can’t keep it all for ourselves. Maybe you know someone who is journeying through pregnancy or taking her first newborn home from the hospital. What a privilege to get to encourage her with what you’ve learned on your own journey. In 2 Corinthians 1:4 we read that God “comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (NIV).

Knowing that the things we’ve gone through can benefit others takes the sting out of hard situations in our past. We can see the purpose just a little bit more and gain confidence in the Lord’s faithfulness. Our sense of gratitude increases too, whether because we’re looking back on a particular season with fond memories or because we’re thankful to be out of that particular hard stage. Any time we get to pour into someone else, we will be encouraged ourselves.

With mentors and mentees in our lives, we have countless opportunities for meaningful conversations—conversations that keep us focused on what’s truly important. These relationships can help us in so many ways: by allowing us to focus on the big picture, by keeping us from wallowing in the day-to-day grime, by giving us an opportunity to serve and take our eyes off our own problems for a while, and by filling us with confidence. Thank the Lord, he did not call us to walk through motherhood alone.

ACTION STEP

Find a mentor and a mentee. This won’t happen overnight, but start praying about it today.

PRAYER

Father, you created us for community, and that doesn’t mean only with the moms who look just like me. Please help me to find a mentor to challenge and motivate me, and a mentee I can pour into and serve. In Jesus’ name, amen.

MORNING QUESTIONS

TAKEAWAY TODAY | What traits would you look for in a mentor?

What do you have to offer someone you might mentor?

DREADING TODAY | Is there anything you’re dreading today?

REDEFINING TODAY | If so, what is another way you can view that thing you’re dreading?

ASKING GOD TODAY | What request are you bringing before the Lord today?

EVENING QUESTIONS

REFLECTION | Have you thought of any women you might ask to be your mentor or mentee? What’s one step you can take to initiate a conversation with them?

LITTLE VICTORIES | Where did you see God show up even in small ways, reminding you that you aren’t alone?

WHITE FLAG MOMENTS | When did you want to hide or escape today?

MEMORY OF THE DAY | What do you want to relish and thank God for?