What's the Difference?

So here I am bushwhacking my way toward a deadline. Well, it seems that way. You should see my house right now, in its neglected state. No, never mind—you should not see it. And if you do show up at my door, you enter at your own risk. No guarantee you’ll find me.

But I am here, and right now I’m pondering the topic of Internet use gone wild. One guy I talked to recently admitted he was completely pulled in—he would say “addicted”—to MySpace, WoW, and porn.

He told me, “You reach a certain point after a while—and it doesn’t take much—where boom! your conscience is seared and you convince yourself that what you’re doing is OK. Your innocence is drained. You can do it, and do it, and do it all day long.”

That's intense!

In trying to overcome his Internet obsessions, he said an "accountability partner" wouldn’t work for him unless that person was willing to sit next to him every time he got online—which would be a lot. Otherwise, alone he could go online and do whatever he wanted, and then it wouldn’t bother him one bit to have to confess it.

Here’s the thing that got me: He said, though an accountability partner wouldn’t work for him, a godly mentor would—someone who could pour God into his life.

After we talked some more, I realized he saw the "accountability partner" as someone who checked up on him, kept him on track with what he was supposed to do—even if he couldn't, or wouldn't, honestly aspire to their standards.

On the other hand, to him, the "mentor" would be the person who took the time to be in relationship with him and to help spur him toward being in relationship with God.

In his mind, the mentor relationship is the one that would make a difference--the one that would lead to God transforming him deeply and impacting his online choices.

Sure changes up my thinking about friendship, accountability, and mentoring. Still thinking about this one. If you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

Jan

http://www.choose2livefree.com/

Show me the way. . .

Shirin Taber, a 20-something author of Wanting All The Right Things, says, “We need each other more than ever. Many of us grew up as latchkey kids, come from broken homes, or weren’t taught to plan or prioritize for the difficult crossroads we find ourselves facing today. Our baby-boomer mothers and fathers, influenced by the sexual revolution, have in many respects only added to our confusion. They’ve taught us to mistrust men, become economically self-reliant, indulge our anger, and pursue independence—at any cost.”

As I read this, what I heard as a spiritual mom and as someone who works with young women and teens is, "I need someone to show me the way".

Have you ever felt that way? Maybe you have a parent who has shown you how to live, how to run after God. But perhaps you want direction in another area: how to pursue God's will or how to begin a healthy relationship with a guy that will honor God, or how to know where you fit and why.

Or maybe you are trying (and always have) had to fly solo in your faith life.

Who is your mentor? Who do you allow (or ask) to pray for you or to show you how to move past the roadblocks or speedbumps that trip you up?

Just this past week I connected with a woman I respect. She is an author. She has sold a gazillion books. She stopped for a morning and poured into my life, and I realized that I also needed that--someone who has already experienced things I have not, and who will show me what she has learned.

It's scriptural, women of all ages talking with each other about life, love, faith, direction, and more. So I'll ask again:

Who is your mentor? And if you don't have one, are you willing to ask God to show you someone who can encourage you as you run after him?

Let's talk. If you have questions about mentoring or faith, or anything else, I'd love to hear it.

Suzie Eller