Mentoring...

Growing up, my life as a preacher's kid was not always easy, especially considering the fact that the our lives were constantly on display. We were taught we were Allison's, meaning we were held to a much higher standard than others. What my Dad preached, we lived...and sometimes it seemed so very, very unfair.

Now don't panic. I'm not here to write about how horrible my life was, or run down the fifty fruitful years of ministry my parents have dedicated their lives to. Yes, there were times of difficulty, but what I remember most is all the wonderful, beautiful blessings my family experienced from living in the very center of God's will. Oh, the prayers we saw answered, the godly people I came in contact with whose lives forever changed my life...I had the awesome privilege of benefitting from the legacy of others!

Someone once said: One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination.

This last weekend our family attended a missionary mentoring held at our church. As I was listening to our veteran missionaries share their call and their surrender to the Lord's will, I found myself looking around at all the teenagers in the room. So much potential, and yet so many obstacles that could deter them from being all that they could be for God. What they truly need now are godly men and women to mentor, to advise or train, to do just what the quote above states: to help navigate a course to their destination.

I certainly wouldn't be where I am today...married to a preacher, mom to my three "babies" (even if two of them are as tall as me now), member of a loving church, teacher to a great group of teenagers...if it weren't for the love and support of some very influential ladies. Especially when it came to a point in my life where I was prepared to follow my own desires. 

Now none of these desires had anything to do with being a teacher. In fact, being a teacher was the very last thing I wanted to be. My grandmother was a teacher, my Mom was a teacher, my sister was a teacher. In my mind, being a teacher, a missionary, or a secretary were the only options for a Christian young lady in full-time Christian service. But I desired more...so. much. more. Trauma surgeon more.

Lofty sites, right?

Can you imagine me a trauma surgeon? At the time, all I could think about was the amount of schooling and years of residency that waited for me.

But my Dad, in his godly wisdom, asked for me to go to one year of Bible college...and I agreed, because well, I loved my Dad. Needless to say that one year was life changing. The chapel and church services, the ministries, my classes, always seemed geared toward finding God's will and doing it. 

I made the singing tour group my first year in college and was scheduled to travel during my sophomore year which meant...you guessed it!  I'd have to go back at least one more year. That's what I kept telling myself that next year: just one more year and then I can go to med school. Unfortunately this mindset was hard not just on myself, but on my parents as well. One day I'd say, "I'll stay" while the next I was adamant: "I'm done after this year." Oh, the times I spent in an unfinished dorm room, pouring my heart to God, begging Him to let me go do what I wanted to do. 

Yet my Heavenly Father had much better plans for me. Through constant conviction and wise council, I finally surrendered to finish the four years of Bible college, putting an end to my dream of being this awesome trauma surgeon. Even after I graduated and returned home, there were a few dear ladies who helped walk me through my first years of teaching as well as navigate single life.

Then, when God's time was right, He graciously allowed my Dear Hubby and me to meet. The rest, as they say, is history.

In March of 2020, when the world seemed to shut down and there was so much uncertainty, I realized something: that was the twenty year anniversary of me totally surrendering to the Lord's plans and not my own. Where would I have been had I chosen to become a doctor? What if I would have gone and done my own thing? How different would my life be twenty years later?

If it weren't for those who loved me, prayed for me, and mentored me, I shudder to think of all the blessings I would have missed out on. His will was so. much. better.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of eveil, to give you and expected end. (Jere. 29:11)

Now it's my turn to be a mentor. To share with other young ladies just what God did in me, the struggles He helped me navigate, the godly people He put in my path to help along the way. All of these were used to bring me to where I am today: in the very center of His will.

Simply Glorying in Him,