Leaving a Legacy

            One of my greatest passions is to leave a legacy through mentoring/discipling. The only things that last from this world into eternity are God’s Word and people’s souls. One of the funniest stories I have ever heard about a legacy is The Tree That Owns Itself. If you know my UGA Bulldog husband, you should be able to guess where it is…Athens, GA.

            Well, this tree was apparently on the property of William Jackson, who was the son of a Congressman, his brother was a Congressman, and his dad was a Congressman, all in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s.  Anyway, the story goes that he loved the tree because of very fond memories, so he gave the tree its own deed. 

            The original tree did finally die, but before it did, several people took acorns from it and grew offspring of the tree. One of the offspring of the tree is still standing today, in that very same spot. It has been declared a state monument and is now taken care of by the state.

            This particular part of Jackson’s life makes a great story, and there is nothing wrong with having sentiment for all sorts and kinds of things on this earth. But I know I hope to leave a deeper, eternal impact. Furthermore, it is God’s desire that we leave an eternal impact through teaching and discipling other women. Titus 2:3-5 says:

Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good. In this way they will train the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, fulfilling their duties at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message of God may not be discredited.

Okay, so leaving a legacy, or what I call mentoring, is a command given by God and is something all believers should do. So, how do we do it? Mentoring is defined by the Wikipedia website as “a developmental relationship between a more experienced mentor and a less experienced partner referred to as a protégé.” I love this definition because it doesn’t matter how old or young you are, someone is less experienced and/or physically younger than you.

But there is one major roadblock (besides finding/making the time) that I have discovered regarding women and mentoring. Many of us don’t feel qualified or capable to mentor others. We think it is this huge process and commitment that requires seminary-like knowledge to lead an in-depth Bible study.  For some people, it could be that.  But as we discussed, mentoring is for everyone.  You have the Spirit inside of you, so you have plenty to share.

I think many of us also feel like we need to have ‘arrived’ or be ‘perfect.’ But the truth is, we are all imperfect, and none of us wants to be taught by someone intimidating and ‘perfect.’ Furthermore, one of the greatest lessons we can pass on to others is how to live as an imperfect person striving for holiness – it is a great paradox and is often uncomfortable for us to live with. We need to see others who are vulnerable enough to share their weaknesses and how they deal with them, how they seek the Lord and find grace, but continue to get back up and keep running the race.

Mentoring can come in many forms – it can be spiritual and focused primarily on a Bible study or a Christian book, but it can also be focused on learning a skill or just doing life together. I would like to share with you one of my favorite mentors in hopes that you will see how ‘normal’ she was. Dawn was my ‘adoptive’ college mom. She and I didn’t ever do a formal Bible study together.  Many of my mentors have done Bible studies with me, but she was my life mentor: she was a model of a Christian woman, wife, and mom. I would come over and do laundry, she would cook dinner, and then give me the recipes. Sometimes she would show me how to cook.  I remembered she showed me this great schedule she had for planning out her cooking, grocery shopping, and freezing leftovers. I would go to the kids’ birthday parties, and once went to the lake with them.

She invested in my life, was interested in me, and the kids were there the whole time.  Sometimes we played with them. Sometimes I got to see how she corrected her children when they tried to interrupt a serious conversation. She would acknowledge them, but say that she was in the middle of something with Miss Judith, and that they could wait their turn. I was pretty impressed at how patiently they typically waited. Then, at a good pause, we would turn our attention to what they needed.

But one of my favorite things was this little shelf in their home school area, where the kids saved money for ministries and missionaries. What a sweet thing to model giving to others and God’s work. Then, God called me on a year-long mission trip, and the most precious thing was the day Dawn gave me $15 in coins that her kids had saved for me. They had asked if they could save money for my mission trip! That $15 meant so much to me because I knew it came from a joyful heart of giving, and from a child.

Dawn rarely took time away from her family because they were busy, but she pulled me into their life and made me a part of their family. And along the way, she taught me life skills, godly parenting, and other godly traits as well.

Mentoring doesn’t have to be very formal, but it also can be. It is primarily about investing in someone’s life, being a resource of love and knowledge, spending time with them, and imparting godly principles through life and from God’s Word.

So, if you want to be mentored or to mentor someone, look around at the people you know, pray and ask God to show you who He would lead you to, and ask that person. It never hurts to ask. Perhaps you need a good study on being a mother, so one time you ask a mother with grown kids whom you admire to help you through one. Perhaps you want to learn how to sew, so you find someone in church who is good at it, and along the way, she invests in your life. Be bold.  Ask the Lord for these relationships, because it is what He wants for His church.

My hope and desire for all of our ladies is to know that you are valuable and needed for the kingdom of God and this church body. I pray that we all seek God about who can invest in us and who we need to be investing in. It is precious to gain wisdom, love, and friendship from someone, and it is amazing to see God use you to impact another person’s spiritual life for eternity.

--Judith Graham