When a friend saw this photo, he immediately exclaimed, “BADASS!”
But this photo’s brazen-faced attitude reminded me instead of my immaturity in my younger days, when I cut out mentors from my life.
“You shouldn’t marry someone with a liver transplant.”
“You’re too ambitious for a married woman.”
“This is too high-risk.”
If someone advised something against what I felt God impressed on my heart, I’d avoid them, more and more.
Now, years later, a mentor myself, I’m learning- no one is perfect.
While good mentors share advice shaped by their experiences, better mentors share counsel specific to our situations, and the great ones ask the right questions to help you arrive.
But what’s key is for us to discern rightly, to give that “badass attitude” not to our mentors, but directly to the enemy of our dreams— fear & discouragement.
When mentors cautioned me against proceeding with the calligraphy exhibition because it’d be financially unviable, I, now older, no longer resented them— I cherished their genuine intentions.
On the last day of the exhibition, we prayed, heavy-hearted, that God-willing, He would find sponsors for a new site if He willed.
Days later, with no soliciting, a sponsor offered us another free venue, AND funding, too. 😭
I stared at the email, mouth agape.
Instead of saying “AHA!” to the mentors who dissuaded me, as I might have in my younger days, I felt the full weight of gratitude for their advice, which gave me a deeper appreciation of the miracle this all has been.
So, remember, my young friends, if you resonate with this “badass attitude,” know that it should be saved for the enemy of our faith, and not muddled with disdain for those who love us.
If you have a mentor you now avoid because of something he/she said, would you reconsider that relationship? Toss the advice if you must, but respectfully. Everyone gives the good they know from lived experiences, and shouldn’t be exiled from your life because of it.
We all need mentors. We eventually become them. So, don’t cancel them. Cherish them. And save your badass attitude for the real naysayers.
👗: @iwantthemissingpiece