Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Romans 12:12 NLT
You never "age out" of shaping the lives of people, your own children, or other mentees. You have spiritual influence for all your life and theirs. As you grow in Christ and experience different challenges and victories, you have much to offer through the seasons of life. Your role evolves from teacher to warrior/partner and respected wise advisor, regardless of age. Their role changes too. You will see as they grow, they have much to offer and teach you. Those you have shaped can become your strongest support and wise voices. While time and maturity impact the styles of shaping, your prayers and intentional, unconditional love will be powerful tools for shaping their faith and sustaining a lasting, meaningful connection. Your example will show them how to successfully navigate every season of life with hope and wisdom.
No matter what happens, never underestimate the power of continued prayer. Even if your children or mentees walk away or appear indifferent to your investment, your influence through prayer never goes away. As long as they live, you can intercede and pray for their hearts and lives. Ezekiel 33:20 records God saying He looked for a person to stand in the gap and intercede, but He found no one. Your prayers can stand in the gap, bringing God's influence into their lives, even if they do not want to hear it from you directly.
Your children and mentees may not eventually need your instructions, but they always need your example. They need to see you standing firmly in love and faith. They need to see you seeking to be led by the Holy Spirit. They need to see you be faithful to your commitments, with your finances, to the community of faith. They need to see with their own eyes that what you taught was not just words – it was your core.
They need to see you continuing to grow and learn and apologize for anything you got wrong. One of my closest friends is seeing her adult children become remarkably close to her and to God, becoming malleable in God’s hands, as she has taken responsibility and asked forgiveness for raising them with unreasonable standards and causing them to see God in a wrong way. She was a very sincere mom, but she was wrong. The impact of her growth and transparency is transforming her family.
Take the long view. Seeds that are planted don’t usually sprout overnight. It takes time to grow an oak tree. But just because you won’t see the result quickly, you don’t stop planting and investing. God is faithful to bring the growth!
- You are never alone. God's grace fills the gaps left by our shortcomings. Trust that as you surrender the outcome to Him, your prayers and presence will still play a vital role in their ultimate spiritual journey, even after you are in heaven.