The Gift Of Guidance

The Gift of Guidance

Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.

Proverbs 13:20

With a big job change looming, I found myself sitting across the café table from a wise woman a decade or two my senior who has mentored me in my profession over the years. As we chatted, our conversation turned to change.

She spoke of significant career shifts she had experienced in her life—mourning the loss she experienced each time she started over in a new job, a new place, a new town while also embracing the opportunity to learn something new, to try something completely different. She told me that never in her wildest dreams did she think she would someday use all that knowledge, all that experience, all that history. Yet in her current position, she does exactly that. It is as if her new position was carved out especially for her, based exactly on her previous experiences. The experience she gained at past jobs she loved became an invaluable resource for where she finds herself now.

Her words were like a salve as I navigated my own job change. I recognized the biblical truth in the wisdom she shared, and it was encouraging to hear these words from someone who had walked my path not once but several times during her professional career.

While I love my friendships with women my own age, I especially treasure my friendships with women who are older than I am. Their perspective and wisdom gained through experience is invaluable, and I am grateful when they take time out of their busy lives to provide insight and guidance to me.

And that means that I, in turn, intentionally but informally mentor a smart and accomplished woman who is ten years my junior. Periodically she’ll slip quietly into my office with a life question. Buying a house, navigating a tricky personal relationship, supporting her new husband’s career (and vice versa)—we’ve discussed all of it and more. While I don’t always have a perfect answer, I honestly and freely share what I’ve learned and help guide her decisions.

—Julie

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Find someone to mentor. It doesn’t need to be a formal thing; it could be a younger coworker, a mom, or a friend from church. Just make it a point to be available and encouraging to this person.