Post by robin on Oct 15, 2009 7:20:57 GMT -8
I agree with you on a lot of this--especially about rebuilding relationships.
But I get very frustrated with (many) Christians who say these things but do nothing about them personally--except complain.
I am not trying to paint you with the same brush, Robin, because that would be wrong and I don't know much about how you live. But I am curious: how do you find ways to do this with children that intersect with you in your life?
But I get very frustrated with (many) Christians who say these things but do nothing about them personally--except complain.
I am not trying to paint you with the same brush, Robin, because that would be wrong and I don't know much about how you live. But I am curious: how do you find ways to do this with children that intersect with you in your life?
How do I do this? Well I don't have a formula. But I have developed friendships, and I would consider that I have become somewhat of a mentor to a young man in my neighborhood. I first met he and his sister when they were about 10 or 11 (he is now 19 and entering the Air force . I would often go out in the evening and shoot some basketball by myself for fun and exercise, and one day this kid showed up and asked if he could play. From there we started building a friendship. From then on I have found that he comes to me for all sorts of advice, and help. He has great parents who I have come to know very well. However, there are some things that I could teach him that his father could not. For one thing I'm fairly mechanically inclined, and his dad is not. So over time I have taught him how to do tune ups, change oil, brakes, service a transmission and so on. This helped him gain a ton of confidence. He was learning something that he thought was too complicated, and now he will have this skill that he will carry with him for the rest of his life. Of Course, our relationship has developed beyond teaching him how to work on cars, but I think you get the idea.
I find that by just making myself available and being aware of whats going on around me, it allows for opportunities to be there when I'm needed.