1. Take a minute to read Karen's story, beginning on page 71. If you were to describe the kind of "charm school" you'd want to attend with a mentor, how might you describe it? I think that I'd want to be right there with my mentor. Learning from her every move in her normal everyday life. I wouldn't want it to be some hyped up thing, but rather the real thing.
2. This kind of spiritual mothering relationship is all about "nurturing." After reading this chapter, how would you define nurturing? I would define nurturing as being like a fork and having a four pronged approach. Nurturing includes, time, service, grace and prayer. Without one of these things the relationship will be lacking.
3. This chapter includes some valuable information on who does what. Who asks who when it comes to this kind of relationship? That's an important question! Read the paragraph at the top of page 76. Do you agree? Disagree? Explain your response. I totally agree with this statement that the younger women need to seek out the older women. If I were to go to a younger woman and tell her that I'd like to be her mentor she's probably laugh in my face...that is to say, that when we tell or ask someone to be THEIR mentor they may have some serious and note worthy objections. Maybe they don't want a mentor. Maybe they don't really agree with how you live your life. Maybe they're not ready for that kind of relationship. Asking someone if you could be THEIR mentor is being kind of presuptuious.
4. Are you cultivating younger women around you? How? I feel that I try. I don't have a ton of contact with younger women but there are times that I'll have a younger one come and hang out with my kids while I'm still around and it gives them a chance to see me in action and for us to talk.
5. "A nurturing relationship serves." I don't know about you, but I tend to think of a mentor as being someone who is exalted rather than one who is a servant. As you think about mothering someone by serving her, does that change your perception about your ability to be a spiritual mother? A little bit. I do feel that it is easier for me to serve along side others and if I'm mentoring someone and showing them how I live then it would only be natural that service is the way to show that person. While I'm not always the best at being the servant or the one who serves I do realize that it is the best way to live and to share Jesus with others.
6. Hunt walks us through what Jesus knew to be true about himself that allowed him to serve freely on pages 79-82. The fact that we know these same things about ourselves frees us to serve.
"The knowledge of our eternal destiny gives a calmness and confidence regardless of present circumstances" (page 82).
Was there anything in this section you needed to be reminded of today? I needed to be reminded about how my poor self-image can enslave me and keep me from nurturing and serving, that I need to gain a better understanding of the Bible in order to help rid myself of my poor self-image. The LOVE the quote on the bottom of page 80/top of 81. "This is the place, the time, and the situation that God wants me to use for His glory. This is so exciting and so liberating! Seeing life from this faith perspective removes the hindrances of self-pity and boredom."
7. Anything else? page 78, "Because of our sin nature, we are incapable of living anything other than a self-centered life apart from grace." I think the more that we hear this and know this and put this into practice, the more we begin to understand grace and start to move away from self-centered lives. It does take time and LOTS of helpings of grace!
As always, I loved reading your answers and seeing what jumped off the page at you.
Yes, a charm school that's real. Kind of makes me wish for a mentor who lives next door, into whose home I could pop in and out and vice versa as we just go through days together.
That quote on page 78 stood out to me too. Lord, pour out your grace, I pray!
Joanne
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