July 10

Read James 5

^"10-11Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You've heard, of course, of Job's staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That's because God cares, cares right down to the last detail." (The Message)

Over the years I've had the privilege of having some older mentors in my life. There was Dr. Tice who as a child I looked up to with great respect and awe. More recently I have had people like Ernest Jensen and Phillis Carter whose lives have touched mine in some very special ways. Each of these people, plus many more, have helped to shape me and the way I live my life. I've seen in these mentors the ability to love God and other people when times are good as well as when they are not. I count it as one of the great honors to have been there the night Erny finally beat the cancer that had taken control of his body and we walked joyously into God's waiting arms.
I wish I could tell you that I was wise enough to know that i needed these mentors in my life and I searched them out or that they saw something special within me and wanted to to help me become the best person I could be for God. But neither of those is true. The reality is that they were simply people God brought into my life that I learned from. I'm fairly sure that in the midst of those times I was not even aware of what I was learning. But if I would not have paid attention to these old prophets I would not be the person I am today.

Some thoughts to ponder and share with others:

• Have you had a mentor in your life that has truly made a difference in who you are? What made/makes them special to you?
• Given your current circumstances in life is there someone older/wiser than you who could help you gain a new perspective on life? Who is it and why would you want to seek them out?
• What life experiences do you have that might bring encouragement to someone else? 
• Who can you talk to today that might gain encouragement because of something that you have already experienced?