It's been a great extended weekend. I was away at a conference, the 10th Malaysian Cell Church Conference held at my church. This year's theme was 'Mentoring Leadership' with Rev Edmund Chan as the keynote speaker.
I have been greatly blessed and challenged. Challenged not only as a leader, but first and foremost as a child of God, desiring to do my bit in changing the world. The new Blog name is fit for this season of my life I suppose.
As the theme suggests, the plenary sessions were centred around mentoring. It is a personal struggle to want to mentor. What can I give? I don't have a perfect life, in fact, I sin and make mistakes all the time. ALL THE TIME. Yet, it is important to mentor, in other words, pass on the baton. God didn't allow us to go through life for nothing. Besides being able to minister to others who go through similar struggles, we are expected to make disciples of Jesus too. God will enable me as long as I am willing.
This year this mentoring theme has been repeatedly drummed into me. It comes from all areas of my life. I guess this weekend is THE empowering weekend to give me the push that I need. I have also seen God's hands in sending me precious people to guide, help and encourage. My duties in church have also centred on the same issue and God has graciously sent me someone to mentor me too, albeit the meetings we have being inconsistent. I have even decided that mentoring would be one of the focus areas of my life vision.
As I look back, I understand better why I believe in mentoring too. I remember that as a teenager in church, I had no one whom I could seek help from and be accountable to, especially when I needed encouragement in ministry and life. All I had was God, and the struggles were difficult because I walked alone in my journey. Of course that difficult period shaped me, but I always wanted to have someone guide and correct me when and if I went towards the wrong direction. Later I had this aunty who would spur me in my journey with God, and I am thankful that I still look her up when I go home. She did not exactly say she would mentor me, but she saw what I could not see in myself. She gave me hope that I could run the race well. She gave me space to grow. Although she did not explicitly say the word 'mentor', I consider her as one of my mentors, even today.
I also remember that I vowed to be there for the younger ones, because I experienced what it was like not having any help from the older brothers and sisters in church. We all had to learn life ourselves, and in the midst made many mistakes which could have been avoided. It's not about avoiding mistakes, if you can catch my spirit in saying all these. It is really about investing our lives into others deliberately and hope with them when they cannot see what is ahead. It is also about giving them space to grow and make mistakes, and most important of all, it is about walking with them in their journey with God, and pointing them to God because He is our salvation.
So, ONE step at a time. Would you also consider giving of your life to others? ;)
challenged to hope,
gracey
I have been greatly blessed and challenged. Challenged not only as a leader, but first and foremost as a child of God, desiring to do my bit in changing the world. The new Blog name is fit for this season of my life I suppose.
As the theme suggests, the plenary sessions were centred around mentoring. It is a personal struggle to want to mentor. What can I give? I don't have a perfect life, in fact, I sin and make mistakes all the time. ALL THE TIME. Yet, it is important to mentor, in other words, pass on the baton. God didn't allow us to go through life for nothing. Besides being able to minister to others who go through similar struggles, we are expected to make disciples of Jesus too. God will enable me as long as I am willing.
This year this mentoring theme has been repeatedly drummed into me. It comes from all areas of my life. I guess this weekend is THE empowering weekend to give me the push that I need. I have also seen God's hands in sending me precious people to guide, help and encourage. My duties in church have also centred on the same issue and God has graciously sent me someone to mentor me too, albeit the meetings we have being inconsistent. I have even decided that mentoring would be one of the focus areas of my life vision.
As I look back, I understand better why I believe in mentoring too. I remember that as a teenager in church, I had no one whom I could seek help from and be accountable to, especially when I needed encouragement in ministry and life. All I had was God, and the struggles were difficult because I walked alone in my journey. Of course that difficult period shaped me, but I always wanted to have someone guide and correct me when and if I went towards the wrong direction. Later I had this aunty who would spur me in my journey with God, and I am thankful that I still look her up when I go home. She did not exactly say she would mentor me, but she saw what I could not see in myself. She gave me hope that I could run the race well. She gave me space to grow. Although she did not explicitly say the word 'mentor', I consider her as one of my mentors, even today.
I also remember that I vowed to be there for the younger ones, because I experienced what it was like not having any help from the older brothers and sisters in church. We all had to learn life ourselves, and in the midst made many mistakes which could have been avoided. It's not about avoiding mistakes, if you can catch my spirit in saying all these. It is really about investing our lives into others deliberately and hope with them when they cannot see what is ahead. It is also about giving them space to grow and make mistakes, and most important of all, it is about walking with them in their journey with God, and pointing them to God because He is our salvation.
So, ONE step at a time. Would you also consider giving of your life to others? ;)
challenged to hope,
gracey
1 comment:
Thanks Grace. I believe it is within us to mentor others or those who seek to learn about the spiritual principles we can share. Remember Romans 8:28? All things work together for good, even in bad times, God purposes for good. And if we use each of these 'lessons' to support the growth of others, we can see the growth in the life of those we directly or indirectly mentor. Those above us, our peers, and those under us, all are given in God's divine timing to teach us, to help us grow, to impart grace, to instill knowledge and depth of God's all-surpassing greatness. God honours the heart of those who earnestly desire to build the 'family' because all of us can learn and build this house with God's love, anchored to an end of edification, and the eventual evangelism. I have total faith and confidence that as you desire to do just that, God would fill you with the desires of your heart to mentor others, and you would also find people who will build your life as you impart into others. Thanks for sharing. God bless you!
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