In Search of an Encouraging Mentor
Titus 2:3-5 gives a charge I take very seriously. It instructs older women to be reverent in their behavior and to teach what is good, so 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, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
I’ve been blessed to have many wonderful mentors in my own life, both past and present. In the same way those ahead have poured into me, I want to pour into the ones who come after.
That is one of the primary reasons I began this blog in the first place. To encourage younger women in all these areas. I view my writing as just one more way to pass along the life lessons I’ve learned about marriage and motherhood.
I don’t think we ever outgrow our need for this, but wise and willing mentors are sometimes hard to find. Do you have a mentor? Somebody who can encourage you along life’s way? If you’re having trouble locating one, here are some good places to look:
5 Good Places to Look for a Mentor
Family
The most natural place for me to find a mentor was in my own family. My mother, grandmothers, and aunts on both sides were all great examples in multiple areas of life and were more than happy to share their knowledge and expertise with me. If you are fortunate enough to have godly relatives, don’t be shy about picking their brain when you have questions!
Friends
Most of the time, experience counts for more than age when it comes to finding a good mentor. She doesn’t have to be substantially older than you; if one of your friends is further down life’s road and doing well in an area you want to improve, talk to her about taking you under her wing. Our oldest daughter had a couple mentors while she was in college who weren’t much older than she was, but they had already graduated, gotten married, and had children and were able to provide the counsel and encouragement she craved during that season of her life.
Church
Many churches are treasure troves of wise mentors. Keep your eyes open for older women who have happy marriages, faithful children, and well-organized homes, then learn as much as you can from them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! While I was in college, I was mentored by one lovely older woman from church who volunteered for the job, but the majority of women who have mentored me over the years required a little coaxing. I’d invite one at a time over for dinner or would take them out to lunch, then show up for our date with a full legal pad of questions to discuss while we ate. They co-operated graciously, and I learned a LOT using that tactic.
School
Schools often assign an academic advisor or guidance counselor to each student, and these can sometimes fill the role of a mentor. This was especially true of the small Christian college my husband and I attended. In fact, one of his philosophy professors was such a good friend and mentor that he ended up serving as a groomsman in our wedding. My husband was an excellent student, and this professor was thrilled to give him extra reading assignments and gladly fielded all the questions my husband threw at him.
Books
Sometimes, circumstances are such that you can’t find a suitable mentor in any of the places I’ve mentioned. Maybe you don’t have any family members worth emulating. Perhaps your friends are as clueless as you are in the areas you find most challenging. Maybe the schools you attended were large and impersonal and your advisor didn’t seem interested in spending any more time with you than was absolutely necessary. Well, there is still one more source that has provided me with wonderful mentors for every challenge I’ve ever faced… books.
I love books, because they allow you to have a conversation with the author without feeling like you are intruding on the valuable time. I’ve learned so much about all those Titus 2 topics — marriage, parenting, homemaking — by reading lots and lots of well-chosen books.
And I keep reading — even now that I’ve moved into that “older woman” category myself. I never want to stop learning, because there will always room for growth and improvement this side of heaven.
Of course, I believe the Bible is the most important book any of us will ever read. That is the book I begin with. Daily. And it is also the book by which I measure all others.
I don’t care how popular a title is or how many bestseller lists it appears on, if its content is not in line with the Word of God, it goes.
That said, one of my favorite places to buy practical books on every facet of family life is in The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle. They’ve released a new edition of this incredible learning library every spring for the past six years, and I’ve bought them all.
This year’s bundle is better than ever. It contains:
62 eBooks
33 eCourses
34 printables
8 bonuses
and 3 membership sites
Altogether these products are worth $3,687.47, but when you purchase the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle, you get them all for just $29.97. That’s a savings of over 98%. But it won’t last long. In fact, if you are interested in this year’s bundle, you have only a few more hours to get it:
Now, to be honest, I’ve never even come close to reading all the books included. But there are always a handful that I’m interested in, and when I add up the cost of buying those few titles individually, it’s obvious I’d be dollars ahead by just buying the bundle instead. So that’s what I do.
Here are the books and courses I plan to tackle first this year:
FINDING TIME: HOME & CHILDREN by sarah phillips
Whether you are just wanting your house to be more organized or are homeschooling thirteen kids, Finding Time: Home and Children can show you how to make your home more than just a dumping ground that overwhelms you to think about. (Value: $97)
DATE NIGHT KITS by the dating divas
This kit promises to help me create a whole year’s worth of romantic and meaningful dates with my spouse. (Don’t tell them, but I’m thinking these will make a great gift idea for my older, married children, too.) Now putting together 12 date nights is a breeze! (Value: $8.97)
CLUTTER: SORTED by chrissy halton
This amazing eCourse will help you to declutter your home and take it from chaos to calm in a simple and step-by-step way. (Value: $67.61)
BRAINBOOK by kalyn brooke
With gentle instruction, encouragement, and down-to-earth advice, Brainbook serves as your go-to bullet journaling guide so you can confidently create a planner that organizes your calendar, lists, notes, ideas, and long-term goals in one place. (Value: $27)
These four resources alone would cost me over $200 if I purchased them all separately, so it makes sense (and cents!) to buy the bundle for a fraction of the price, even if I don’t use anything else in it. (But I will! I’ve already ordered nearly all of the bonuses and have made hard copies of some of the printable resources, as well.)
I’ve always gotten far more than my money’s worth with these bundles, but if you’re concerned it might not be a good fit for you, you should know they offer a 30-day happiness guarantee and will gladly refund your money if you don’t love it as much as I do!
As an added incentive, I’m offering an additional bonus when you buy The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle through my affiliate link:
It includes my ebook, Balance: The Art of Minding What Matters Most, over 120 pages of my most popular organizational printables (save time by downloading them all in one click!), and a digital copy of the customizable day planner I designed myself and have been using all year. It includes monthly and week-at-a-glance calendars, built-in habit trackers, a prayer journal and daily Bible reading plan, plus plenty of space for goal setting, progress charts, book lists, and other notes. I love it and think you will, too!
To claim your extra bonus, purchase a copy of the 2018 Ultimate Homemaking Bundle through this link, then email me a copy of your receipt, and I’ll send you instructions for downloading your bonus files within 24 hours.
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