Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. Titus 2:3-5
I’ll never forget my first women’s retreat! A sister church allowed high school teens to attend their annual women’s retreat, so I eagerly awaited that milestone. God met me in a special way that first retreat. The most poignant aspect of those first few retreats for me was the perspective I gained from listening to older women. These women shared about how decisions in their teens and twenties impacted their whole life. They spoke about how they rebelled against God and how He was faithful to them despite their waywardness, about how His love was more filling and satisfying than any of the worldly sources of love and satisfaction they tried to find on their own, they spoke of lessons learned from decades farther along the journey than where I stood. And it deeply changed my perspective. It inspired faith in me to look for God’s hand at work in my life and to pursue His wisdom and direction before setting my heart and life in a particular direction. I learned about reading through the Bible in a year and looking for wisdom on a new topic each year. I went to youth and college events, but none of them were so powerful as the wisdom and perspective I gained listening to those seasoned women share their stories.
Senior and seasoned women in the church hold such powerful blessings for younger women! Far too often, we are unaware of the life-changing blessing we can be to others. Just a handful of the right words can inspire hope and faith in a younger woman that spills over into her family and kingdom calling. Just the right words can safeguard a younger believer from struggles and temptation.
If you are looking for ways to connect with younger women to serve the Lord, here are five practical ways to open your life and H.E.A.R.T to younger generations to be a blessing:
1. H is for hospitality.
Opening your home to others is a life-giving act of love! I recently heard a fellow mom talking about how she had postpartum depression after her first baby was born. Nothing seemed to help. But her mom had a Christian friend who came over and loved on her right where she was. Then, she invited her over to her home to attend Bible study. She was so struck by that woman’s love and willingness to share that she became a Christian. Opening the door of your home can result in others opening the door of their hearts to the Lord!
You might consider opening your home for a gathering of young moms who could use the fellowship time but also might not be able to shoulder getting their own homes hospitality ready. College students and newly married gals will just about always appreciate an invitation to do laundry at your home. Youth ministries (especially of smaller churches) can always use a home for a special event! (When I served alongside my husband in youth ministry, once a year, we coordinated an old-fashioned, progressive dinner for the kids, and it was most often the grandmas of the youth who opened their doors for this event. It was a great way for the kids to connect with someone who could end up becoming an “adopted” grandparent. In a culture where families are so frequently fractured, there’s no shortage of need for “extra” grandparents in young peoples’ lives!) In general, opening our homes speaks love to people. It also provides the practical opportunity to get to know younger women better than casual greetings in passing.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Romans 12:10-13 (emphasis added)
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2. E is for encouragement.
Fruitful encouragement comes from knowing a person. If you truly desire to encourage others, it is necessary to know two things. The first is Scripture. Encouragementin Greek means to call someone to come alongside. But alongside what? Calling someone to come walk alongside Scriptural truth is what it means. Real, Biblical, fruitful encouragement isn’t just meant to make someone feelbetter. It is meant to help people live better. As Christians, when we encourage someone, we ought to aim to help them get closer to the life God has called them to. The second thing we need to know is the person we want to encourage! Just like we need to invest in knowing the Bible, a similar investment of focus and time must be given to know another person - especially one outside our peer group.
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13
3. A is for authenticity.
More than ever, authenticity seems missing in our world of social media highlight reels and photoshopped selfies. It takes a brave and wise woman to let others into her life with authenticity. It is also a gift of love to other women to see an honest example of a seasoned woman. I’ve been most grateful to the women who invited me over for sweet fellowship when their homes weren’t magazine-ready or allowed me to come into their day when life was spilling out the edges of their schedule. I’ve needed their authenticity to help ground me from unrealistic expectations for myself and to allow myself freedom for my own real-life messiness.
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. Ephesians 4:25
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4. R is for resources.
Looking back over your life and seeing what God has taught you is healthy. Categorize those lessons and see if you can whittle them down into a few main ideas. These lessons might be some of the most valuable resources to share with a younger woman.
Elizabeth George challenges women to have 5 lesson files. These are five files for topics dear to your heart or your testimony that you fill with articles, statistics, anecdotes - anything that helps you to better communicate these lessons.
You might have other resources as well! Maybe you don’t feel like you’ve learned the right lessons to bless someone else. Can you invite a younger woman to a conference or retreat with you? Can you offer a favorite book off your shelf that has encouraged you? I have a few I always keep duplicate titles of so I can share them with others. Sometimes offering to read through a book or attend a conference with someone gives them the motivation they need to dive into a deeper level of pursuing Christ.
And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16
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5. T is for time.
Being a conduit of God’s love to others requires an investment of time. God might call you to attend a youth or college meeting to show you are available and you care. It might take time to learn how to use a new social media platform so you can connect with someone in a younger generation. It might take time for the relationships to bloom. It will probably take many invitations before she accepts one from you.
In our busy world, time is a most precious gift. The women who gave me their time in my late teens and twenties changed my life for the better. There was no substitute or shortcut for their sacrifice. I needed the relationships to funnel certain truths into my life, and relationships take time. Their sacrifice poured over me like anointing oil and made all the difference in my life!
Who might God be calling you to sacrificially pour your time over?
We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14
Recently, a senior at our church told me he wished he could help with the setup for the church more, but his aches and pains kept him from being of much use. This wonderful gentleman is such a joyful blessing and encouragement to everyone! I asked him if he wanted a ministry post before service, and he eagerly said, “Yes!” (Pastor’s wives just love it when anyone answers “yes” to a question like this!) So I asked if he’d like to help with greeting. We’d recently had some of our longstanding greeters move out of state and really needed more. He was delighted! I was delighted! And I know he will be a beautiful blessing to everyone who walks through those church doors! He was lamenting what he couldn’t do, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that his particular gifts (even if he was physically able to help with set up and tear down like he wanted) will be put to the best use greeting everyone. All this to say, sometimes we look at the things we can’t do, but there are always things we can do, and those things will be the just-suited, meant-for-us-from-God things.
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Originally published Wednesday, 22 May 2024.
