A wise man taught me that God is not impressed with the length or eloquence of our prayers. He maintained that short, one-sentence prayers spread throughout our day were more valuable in relating to God. He pointed out that the closest relationships in life are not marked by paragraphs of communication, but rather pertinent, brief dialogues.

I’ve embraced this concept and find that my days are often filled with running, audible dialogue with God (often when I’m by myself). With the advent of Bluetooth technology, most observers probably think I’m talking to another human being when they see me talking while driving solo. I’ve discovered that there are so very many things to talk to God about.

In one outing alone, when I was running errands, I shared with God that I was looking for a parking space in a very crowded lot. He heard me. Had you been a fly in my car, you would have heard me respond with “Thank you, Lord.” Later when I began backing out of that tight parking space, I realized after I had checked my blind spot, that a woman with a walker had moved behind my car and I just missed hitting her. Another hearty “Thank you” proceeded from my mouth. “Hitting her right now would have been very inconvenient for me, Lord.” Immediately a correction arrived, Not to mention for her!

Sometimes my running dialogue includes psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sometimes it begins as a pity party and ends with me being bolstered with a Biblical solution. Sometimes I’m told to seek out a friendly, listening ear. Sometimes I’m told to repent.

One of the marks of my sanctification is that there are tangible evidences that I am not the same person I was prior to my conversion. How do I know? Because when I hurry through the house and slam my arm into the door, or spill hot water on myself while draining pasta, or discover that I’ve let a bill sit in my basket passed the due date, I call out to the Lord instead of uttering (or muttering) a curse. You see, that used to be my standard practice. The Holy Spirit, indeed, gives me utterances that are in praise of God rather than taking His name in vain or speaking a vulgarity.

It is true that you are known by the company you keep. I would have to say that among the greatest blessings procured by the Cross is that the Holy Spirit is my constant companion interceding for me in my running dialogue.

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34:1-3)

Many of the women I deal with are hard-working and diligent, but often concerned that they aren’t measuring up to what a homeschooling mother should be. I well remember those seasons of doubt, which usually occurred when I felt that I had no time to give ample attention to possible course corrections.  Life continues and so must I was the mantra that often ran through my head.  Thankfully, there were godly, older women with perspectives that helped me through the difficult times and directed me toward remedies for some of issues I faced in my marriage and with my children.

Now, many years later, with experience, results, and maturation, I look back on those times as when I earned my stripes and became a wise woman.  Just to clarify, a wise woman is not someone who knows all the answers; a wise woman is one who knows how to ask the correct questions. A wise woman is not one who has no problems in her life; a wise woman is one who knows the first stop is prayer and begging the Lord’s assistance.  A wise woman is not someone without inconsistencies in her life; a wise woman understands that she needs outside counsel to help her identify areas where her practice of faith doesn’t match her confession of faith.

As I told one of my mentorees recently, “I don’t really know when it happened, but somewhere along the line I became a wise woman.”  That’s not arrogance or cockiness at work, but a revelation that I have moved up the ranks in God’s Kingdom so that there is much more required of me thanks to the life experiences I’ve had. Now, more than ever, I find myself eager to read and learn and then apply this new information within a framework and context of God’s Holy Word.

Retirement now that homeschooling is over for me?  Hardly.  In many ways, I think I’m just getting started!

Titus 2 Mentoring Online is designed for those women who don’t have such a person close at hand. Making use of available technology (phones, email, chat sessions) this is easily remedied. In the 21^st century, establishing a mentoring relationship doesn’t require living in the same neighborhood or attending the same church.

Andrea Schwartz has been active in homeschooling circles for almost three decades, and now that her children are raised has taken to mentoring other women, as she herself was mentored in her early years of being a wife and mother.  Her goal is to help women see that there is a direct, practical correlation in applying the Word of God to all the roles God has given:  daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.

Maybe mentoring is right for you.