I received this message from an acquaintance of mine:
“Hi Holly, I know you’re really busy, but I really need an older woman I trust to give me some advice and counsel. I was wondering if it might be possible for us to get together once a month?”
I told her I would be glad to pray about it and that we would touch base in a week or so. As I thought about it, I realized how many times I have been asked that question in one form or another, and how many different women the Lord has brought across my path over the years. Most of them have been a blessing!
In Luke, Chapter one, we have the opportunity to peek into the life of Mary, the mother of Christ, at a moment when she might have sent exactly the same message. We’re told that she left with haste after an angel informed her of God’s divine purpose for herself and her child.
She knew where she needed to go. Her relative, Elizabeth, who was much older and who had been barren all of her life, was also experiencing a God-ordained change. Mary stayed for three months with Elizabeth. Wouldn’t you love to know what was engrafted into her life as a result of that visit?
It is possible for us to miss divine connections because the enemy convinces us that we don’t have time, or that we have nothing to offer another woman. The problem with this lie is that the Lord has called us to encourage, train, and share with women behind us on the path about the lessons we have learned. Sometimes we share our victories, and sometimes we share our failures. As we do that, we also remember what God has done for us and how He has led us in paths of righteousness when we were willing to follow.
The way in which we participate in Titus 2 discipleship is dependent on the season of life we find ourselves in. If I am a mom with several children or if I am caring for elderly relatives, my time with other women may be more limited as I am busy with those consuming priorities. This doesn’t mean that I stop having relationships that are meaningful, just that I must be more creative in how I do that in some seasons of life. If I am single, or widowed, or an empty-nester, I may find that I have more opportunity to give my time to investing woman to woman.
So let me ask you a few questions:
- Are you pursuing the relationships God brings across your path?
- Are you asking the Lord for courage to share your life with other women?
- When the Lord presents you with an opportunity, are you willing to say yes?
- Are you praying about how Titus 2 relationships can occur in this season of life? (James 4:2)
- Are you realizing that others’ questions are your Titus 2 moments, wrapped in their confusion and need?
All of us are to be connected to women ahead of us and to encourage women behind us. It’s God’s plan, and it works.
