Months ago, one of our precious M2B Team members, Kathy, submitted this article for posting and it didn’t hit the cue for posts until now. I don’t think that was a co-incidence. It is a God-incidence, as the Lord speaks through Kathy, encouraging us to step into significant mentoring roles. I can’t think of a more perfect response for us in the face of the devastation that hit Sandy Hook school and their families.
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First and lasts. They both evoke such strong emotions. The first smile. The first tooth. The first steps. The first day of school, marking another milestone in each child’s life. The first real job. Another big moment. The first kiss, the first date, and all those other firsts that I keep praying my children will avoid for as long as possible.
As I sent my last child off to his first day of middle school, I thought about all those other firsts in his life and the lives of my other children. I was very melancholy and even sad for the fact that so many of my children’s firsts were forever gone and now my life was filled with so many lasts. Their last day of elementary school. The last day of high school. The last time we would all celebrate that first day of school together. The last time my oldest two would be living at home.
My heart couldn’t take it anymore! I had to find a safe place where I could rest that wouldn’t overwhelm me with memories and a sense of loss and lasts. So I ran to my daddy’s arms. What I found there was more than I could have imagined.
As I read the word and reflected on the meaning of the words, my hurt began to lessen. Instead of focusing on the firsts and lasts, my thoughts centered on all the in-betweens.
The life we have lived in between those firsts and lasts. The moments that mark our family’s life together. And I realized that it is the in between that matters the most. What I do with the time God has given me to pour into my children. And it doesn’t have to end until the final last…my very last breath.
I realized that I am still mom and I can still influence their lives in a positive way. Our culture today has provided me with convenient and creative ways to communicate with my kids, via text message, video chat, Skype or email. Now the conversations are more intentional and purposeful. The “I love yous” span the miles and erase the distance in the click of a button. Even from 1,000 miles away, I can still encourage my son, celebrate his success and help guide him on the path God has for him.
When we send our kids off to school, whether it is right next door or thousands of miles away, we don’t have to sever our relationship with them or relinquish our role as a mentor in their lives. When I read the words here at More to Be, I realize that God has called me to specifically mentor my own children and he has also called me to be a positive role model in the lives of every child I come in contact with. So when I play freeze tag with the neighborhood children or help host a local fundraiser, I can purposefully and intentionally mentor every single kid I come in contact with. I can say an encouraging word or show an interest in their lives by asking about their day, sport, parents, siblings, etc.
Lisa’s book, “Impact My Life: Biblical Mentoring Simplified” taught me that our unintentional interactions, the day-to-day living, should have purpose beyond my creature comforts. My life should impact others in a positive way – always. <–click to tweet
So now that I am an almost emptynester, I plan to storm the gates of heaven for any child who comes in my path. I pray for my children’s friends and those darling children who scream in the supermarket. I pray for kids who wake me up in the middle of the night with their loud car radios. I pray for the delinquent kids who I read about in the paper who have made poor choices and desperately need a mentor. God is so good. He has given me so many more firsts to look forward to. The first time I pray for that kid. The first time I witness a converted life as a direct result of my time, attention, love and prayer.
So many more firsts before that final last to be a life-changer…so many more in betweens.
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Will you answer the call to mentor your children and the next generation?
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