You see, discipleship looks a lot like our lovely Sunday evening. It is relationship with intent, but at its core is the relationship. Jesus invited his disciples alongside him, not merely to give them instructions and send them out, but to enter into relationship with them. He equipped them to carry on his discipleship movement as they traveled with him: telling them stories, showing them the way through his actions and inactions, and giving them outright instructions.
We can seek and do the same in our lives. We humbly pray that God uses us for good in the lives of this young couple. By inviting them alongside us and sharing any wisdom we have gleaned from our years together, hopefully we can help them avoid having to learn some of our lessons the hard way. Hopefully we will learn things from our young friends as well - seeing a marriage unfold from the outside and watching the branches of their family tree unfurl as they add children into the mix.
As James and I talked after our friends took their cuddly puppies home for bed, we realized that we too need an older couple to come alongside and learn from. You are never truly done being discipled. There is always something to learn, a new perspective to see, and prayerful counsel to receive. You will always need someone that is building into you so that you have the energy and experience to build into someone else.
Who are those people for you? Who do you seek counsel from? Who do you build into? Are there current relationships you have that you can make more intentional in either of these ways?
