Getting Dressed - Learning How to Listen and Hear

I was so excited to have the 14 women attend our first meeting on Thursday, September 9, for this new season.  Our time began with coffee, cake and other goodies.  When we settled into the meeting portion, I began by presenting the definition of the word mentor/mentoring:  1.  a wise, trusted counselor or teacher; an influential senior sponsor or supporter.  Mentoring is the act of giving or receiving the counsel or support.  My commitment to this group is to impart the counsel that has shaped my life and it is the responsibility of those hearing this counsel to receive and hopefully benefit and allow growth in their lives.  For the next 12 months, we will journey through the lessons of putting on the attributes of Christ and removing the things that hinder us from progressing and finding that peace and strength in our lives that overcomes every storm. 

2 scriptures come to mind that speak of mentoring younger ones:  1 Corinthians 4:15-16 - Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me; and Hebrews 13:7 - Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.  Leaders are to live a life that others may look up to and draw guidance from and while I have not lived a perfect life, it has been a consistent walk of faith through developing a relationship with Jesus and His Holy Spirit. 

It is very important to note that all counsel and mentoring must be grounded in the Word of God but more importantly is that each of us must grow to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit.   Jesus said that when He left this earth, He would send the Counselor and Comforter.  The more we pursue the Lord, the more we will develop an ear to hear and understand the Holy Spirit at work in us.  While I am all for counseling and assisting one another in all matters of life, we must come to the place that we are able to receive counsel directly from the Holy Spirit and know what God is saying to us.  This only comes with time in His Word and at His  feet in prayer.  Sorry no shortcuts.  Most times, we go to people to solve our problems because we want answers quickly.  These shortcuts don't teach us how to hear God for ourselves and how to persevere through trials that can be longer than we expect.  The Holy Spirit must be the Senior Mentor in our lives.  When I say things like, "The Lord spoke to me," or "I heard the Lord say," I am most times referring to that inner sense of His Spirit directly me in a way that I know is not of myself.  The more you seek, the more you find and the more familiar the sound of His voice becomes.

I had asked each one to bring an article of clothing or jewelry, something that was special to them or that reflected their personalities.  It was funny to see that most of the ladies brought a piece of jewelry.  GIRLS LOVE JEWELRY!  Each piece held a very touching memory for the ladies.  They spoke of family and love and things in life that really matter.  Not one piece of jewelry represented anything vain or greedy.  We shed some tears at the telling of why those earrings or rings were special.

There was a little comic relief as one gal, explained that her worn slacks and casual dress were a symbol of her freedom from the bondage she felt when she had to dress a certain way for her job in order to earn better tips (and all the unwanted attention that came to her).  As Christ worked His peace and acceptance into her heart, she no longer felt the need to dress for anyone but herself and she is now comfortable in her very casual style.  The humor in her delivery really brought a wonderful balance to all the stories.  We are all women of faith with real lives that have drama and lots of comedy in them!

After all these stories were told, I asked the question, "What does clothing tell us about a person?"

(...to be continued very soon!!!  This weekend, Sunday, October 3 is the Third Avenue Festival in Bay Ridge from 12 - 6 p.m., and we at Gateway have a huge presentation that we have now done for 21 consecutive years!  If you are in the area, please come out and see us. Our bandstand will be located at 72nd Street and 3rd Avenue with lots of music, skits, children's activities, giveaways and more!!!)