Passing the Baton, pt. II

by Peggy Brown

This is the “rest of the story” follow up on my blog from Nov. 17th. If you missed it, you can go there first and see where I began this journey. For those of you who might be short on time, I’ll just say that I am expressing my gratefulness for the women that God has placed in my life to teach, encourage and disciple me.

My purpose for sharing these women with you is that you might be encouraged by one of their stories. I hope you will see someone like yourself and recognize how you might encourage those who are coming along behind us!

I guess I’ll pick up in high school. Never underestimate the power of the Youth Pastor’s wife!!! Her name was Susie. The thing that stands out in my mind about her was her servant’s heart. She was never the ‘star’ of the show, but she was always there with a big smile and time to listen to us pour out our hearts. She was faithful to give Godly counsel, and she lived out God’s design for a Christian wife in front of us impressionable teenagers.

Two amazing women walked into my life after I graduated from High School. The first was our college Pastor’s wife. Phyllis was an “older” woman to me (she must have been at least 27!) She very actively ministered to us, leading Bible Studies and discussion groups. Looking back now, I see plainly that her goal was to train us how to be young women of God. She never backed away from any subject we brought up. She challenged us to serve others both in the church and outside of the church. She drew us all in with her warmth. One of the things she focused on was relationships with men. She exhorted us to remain pure sexually at a time when “free love” was everywhere around us. She showed us what God said about having relationships with men…they were our Christian brothers and we should focus on encouraging them as such. She also spent many hours with me after I became engaged, letting me pepper her with questions and showing me from God’s word His plan for marriage.

The other woman I’d like you to know was the wife of a local campus ministry missionary. When I met Dorothy, I didn’t quite know what to think of her. I had never known anyone who spoke her mind quite so readily. (Maybe that was to prepare me for meeting my future mother-in-law ;-) I met her after I began dating Wayne (my husband). After our engagement, she took me on as a “project” when she saw that my mom wasn’t able help navigate the sometimes complicated issues of engagement and new marriage. Dorothy was the one who helped me learn about “leaving and cleaving” (Gen. 2:24), she gave me the book on (S) (E) (X) that about gave my mother heart failure! She took very seriously the admonition of Titus 2:3-5 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored.”

As you can see, I have been so blessed to have had these wonderful women in my life. God must have known that I needed extra-special attention to get this stuff into my heart! As I write this, it is 3 days before Thanksgiving and as I was thinking of things I am thankful for the other day, I realized how very thankful I am for the blessing of this heritage. I also realized that with this gift comes the responsibility of encouraging others.

My encouragement to each one of us is that we will take up the baton that has been passed to us. Maybe you haven’t had the same experience that I have, but most of you have had one person pour into your life. If not, then let me encourage you to be the first! You be the one to pour out of your life into the life of another. It’s not hard…it’s just living up close and personal and you can see that it doesn’t have to be any kind of formal arrangement. Maybe it’s just sitting at the AWANA store table and being Jesus to those kids…maybe it’s holding a fussy baby and sharing a word of encouragement to mom when she picks him up at the nursery. Whatever you are doing, you have an audience! I think that’s just the way God wanted it, don’t you?

Hebrews 10:24-25
“and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”

Lord again I thank You for the gift of mentors. Please don’t let me be too busy to see those around me who need encouragement. Don’t let me be afraid to live up close and personal with other women. Let me be “Jesus with skin on” to the women that you bring into my life. Amen