The Beauty of Titus 2 Discipleship
Inside: We’re never too old to learn or too young to pour into others. A personal look at the beauty of Titus 2 discipleship.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
We weren’t meant to walk the Christian life alone. I’m so grateful God has given us the local church, where women in every season of life can come alongside one another, pray together, and encourage each other to live out His Word faithfully.
This excerpt from Homemaking Matters looks at the beautiful picture of discipleship we’re given in Titus 2 and reminds us that every Christian woman has something to give and something to receive.
The Role of Discipleship
The following is adapted from chapter 6, “The Beauty of Mentorship,” in Homemaking Matters: Living for God’s Glory in the Ordinary.
Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
Titus 2:3–5 (ESV)
We sometimes think an older woman needs to be much older, but I’ve learned so much from women in my current season, and even from women years younger than me. We all have such different life situations and circumstances, and it is a blessing to have others in our lives and see how they handle life. Even now, as a grandmother, I still love learning from those a few steps ahead of me. I also appreciate my time with young mamas, because I want to be a good mom to my adult children and love my grandkids well. As a young Christian, I so appreciated input from other women on what it looked like to study the Word in busy seasons with littles underfoot.
Some of my most valuable lessons didn’t come from a structured Bible study but from simply watching how another woman lived. I remember a season when I longed for a mentor, someone whose life reflected Christ, who could show me what faithfulness looked like as we walked through the ups and downs of life.
The Lord graciously answered that prayer when I met Jacki, a pastor’s wife whose love for the Lord overflowed into every part of her life. During a trip to Africa, I had the privilege of spending time with her in ministry and in the simple, day-to-day moments.
Jacki always took time with people. She really listened, and she would love on them and pray for them right there. She had so much compassion and such a heart for ministry. The women in Africa loved her deeply and were so thankful to see her again. She prayed for these women, corresponded with them, and brought them lovely gifts. She remembered personal things about their lives, and it was evident she had been praying for them.
She took me under her wing by walking me through the cultural differences I wasn’t familiar with and introducing me to the ladies so warmly. Our surroundings were not the most comfortable. Our bathroom was a hole in the ground, and water was sparse, so a shower was a luxury. Jacki did all things with great joy. She was a beautiful example to me of being content in all circumstances. And I really loved her heart for prayer. If there was a need, Mama Jacki would pray on the spot.
Her attitude showed me what it looks like to live out the fruit of the Spirit in hard situations, and not the most comfortable ones either. While we were there, we were robbed. I would have been much more upset and bothered by it, but seeing Jacki’s response, and how she trusted the Lord and His sovereignty, was a beautiful picture for me of what it looks like to live that out. We can read about God’s sovereignty and say we believe it, but when hard things happen, what fruit is evident in our lives?
There are still so many times I don’t feel qualified to mentor someone. I don’t have all the answers, and there are situations where I don’t even know where to begin to give guidance. But I do know I can always come back to God’s Word and prayer. The women we were ministering to were in some hard marriages. Being a Christian married to a Muslim would be such a challenge. I can’t change her situation, but we can love her, pray for her, and point her back to truth. This is what Jacki modeled for me.
The younger women in our lives don’t need a perfect Christian, because there aren’t any. We are all walking this road together, wanting to honor the Lord, and we won’t ever master it. But they do need to see that we have struggles too. We don’t have all the answers, but we know where to turn, and God’s Word is sufficient.
When it comes to coming alongside a younger woman, we don’t need to overthink this. We just need to do life together. So often it may be coffee at the kitchen table while our kids play, and we get time to talk through hard things in our lives. Or it may be running errands. I love doing this with my daughter and granddaughters, because conversations naturally happen as we do life together.
I don’t do this as well as I would like, but I’ve learned that just sending a friend a text or a card to let her know I’m thinking about her means a lot.
We love to open our home to others. As I’ve gotten older, I don’t think so much about what I’m cooking or what the house looks like. I think more about my heart, and about having an open home where others are welcomed and loved, and where we can spend time getting to know them and love on them.
We’re never too old to learn and never too young to pour into others.
Every one of us, no matter what season of life we’re in, has something to offer another woman. Our life experiences, our knowledge and application of God’s Word, and seeing His faithfulness in our lives are what we all need to be sharing with one another. You’ve seen the Lord work in your life, and it would encourage others to hear what He has done.
If you’re a younger woman looking for a mentor, don’t be discouraged if no one has come up to you yet. Pray and seek out an older woman in your church. Your pastor or his wife might be able to help connect you with someone. You can start by simply inviting her to coffee to chat. It doesn’t have to be a formal study.
I hope you’re encouraged and know that you are capable of being mentored and of mentoring others. That is the picture we have in Titus 2: coming alongside one another, doing life together, and sharing what the Lord is teaching us.
Remembering Mama Jacki
Since writing these words, my dear Mama Jacki has gone home to be with the Lord.
I’m so thankful the Lord brought her into my life. She showed me what it looked like to love Christ and His people, not simply through her words but in how she lived. Her life was a beautiful example of the Titus 2 discipleship described in this chapter, and her influence on my life continues.
I first wrote about Jacki after our trip to Africa and shared some of the ways the Lord used her example to encourage and teach me. That post later helped inspire this section of Homemaking Matters. You can read more in The Example Set Before Me of a Titus 2 Woman.
Jacki’s memorial service was a beautiful testimony of a life lived faithfully for Jesus. If you’d like to learn more about the legacy she left, you can watch her service here.
About Homemaking Matters
This excerpt is adapted from Homemaking Matters: Living for God’s Glory in the Ordinary. The book offers biblical encouragement for seeing the work of our homes through the truth of God’s Word and living faithfully in the places He has called us to serve.
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