Isn’t it a wonderful feeling when things are going your way in life?  Sometimes, this is true, while other times it is the furthest thing from the truth.  While we may not have control over every thing in our lives, we can know who controls our lives and we can talk to him about our lives daily.

Prayer is “communication with God”.  Through prayer we can receive “power” from the Holy Spirit.  The Bible says in Acts 1:8,

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

These were Jesus’ words to his disciples but they still apply to us today.  We truly have a “lifeline” to power in our lives, to knowledge, to blessings, if we just ask for them.  James 1:5 says,

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

It also says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22.  These are Biblical truths that we should embrace.  Once you learn to embrace them you will know that you can go to God and that He will answer your prayers.  He may not answer right away, he may not answer with a yes, his answer might be wait, not right now or later, but he will answer.

Give it a try!

There are times in our lives when we need someone to go to, but many times we wish we had someone that is removed from the situation that we are going through.  Many times the issues that we deal with have much to do with our family or friends, and therefore going to a friend or family member is difficult and too close for comfort, or maybe we just do not want to hear, “I told you so.”  No matter what the case is, it can be a rewarding to have a relationship with a  “mentor” in your life, someone outside your family or circle of friends to help you deal with the ups and downs of life.

A mentor, is someone who is more experienced than you in life that you can go to in time of need or that you can use as a sounding board to bounce issues off of or to brainstorm ideas with for any given situation.  They may or may not be “older” than you chronologically, but they should be someone whom you feel that you can benefit from in the area of  knowledge and life experience.

A mentor will help you by sharing their life experience with you, may often give advice or at least be there to listen, which is what most of us need in life, a shoulder to cry on a place to go when we just need to vent.

When choosing a mentor you will want to be sure to choose someone that you can trust.  When asking the person to be your mentor you will need to be ready to tell them what you will expect from the relationship and what they can expect from you.  You will want to decide how you will work your relationship and if you will meet together often, or how often you will communicate, generally what your relationship will mean to each of you.  You will want to set your expectations from the beginning so that neither of you are disappointed.

The process of mentoring and being a mentor can be a great experience if you know from the beginning what you hope to gain from it.

Photo credit: Lars Andreas