By Jayme Hull—

As a child my family loved to sit in the family room night after night and watch the Summer Olympic games on the television. Do you recall the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal? One of my favorite categories then and now is the Women’s Gymnastics. Exactly 37 years ago today Nadia Comaneci scored a perfect 10 for her uneven parallel bar routine. The crowd and media went wild with applause as Nadia made the history books and set the world record.

Nadia’s story told of the great sacrifice and hard work it took not only for her, but for the trainers and her entire family as well. Dedication and determination from Nadia’s coach, Bela Karolyi kept him by her side, no matter what it took, to help her succeed. Bela said he saw potential in her from the moment she started at seven years old. When she placed 13th at her first competition at the age of eight, Bela encouraged her to work harder and be determined to do better. She did and at age 9 she won the Romanian National Championship. Five years later in 1976 she would receive the first perfect score and championship at the youngest age for any woman gymnast in the world.

This is exactly what is required of the follower of Christ. God mentions athletes and training numerous times in the Bible. As Christians we are to train and study the Word of God with this same determination and dedication as athletes. The older mature godly woman is to guide and train the younger Christian woman on how to walk with a strong faith. Just like the Romanian Coach, the Mentor needs to be looking for the gifts God has given to the next generation and see the potential in God’s plan for their lives. With passion for others, a Mentor’s motto can become “I will stand by you and help you NO MATTER WHAT!” The Mentor begins a journey for life with the younger believer to win the prize for the upward call in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14 NLT)

How can you get started?

  • Pray and ask God to show you a younger woman He would like you to mentor
  • Pray and ask God to open your eyes and heart to see her potential
  • Look for an opportunity to begin a conversation with this mentee
  • Explain to the mentee what God is doing in your life and how He can use you to help her grow in her walk of faith
  • Ask the mentee to pray about starting a mentoring relationship and set up a time to have a cup of coffee or glass of Iced Tea. Begin to share your God stories and study the Word of God together learning how to apply it to daily living.

All of us need encouragement to train spiritually. Following the instructions found in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and so many other Scriptures will guide each one of us to live out our calling from God. Reaching out to the next generation of believers will bring glory to God and hope to the world.

May I encourage you to make the following verses your challenge for the next six months and beyond as you seek to mentor others for Christ?

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (MSG)

“I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.”

 

 

 

Jayme Hull: Jayme is a graduate of New York University with a B.A. in Speech Communication Education and Musical Theater. She married her high school sweetheart John and together they live in Nashville TN. Jayme and John have three incredible godly adult children, two beautiful daughter-in-laws that love the Lord and one granddaughter . She went to NYC to meet the Broadway Entertainment world but instead she met the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. From that moment on her life was changed forever. Her new ministry, Woman Face toFace, is a Christ centered, Bible based, non-denomination ministry to equip women of all ages and stages of life to learn how to help each other as a mentor or being mentored. Check out the website at www.jaymeh.com

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