Written by Carrie Nehmer
Excitement doesn’t begin to describe how I felt when I was first asked to be a
discipler. I imagined two ladies, studying their Bible’s over steaming cups of coffee while
scented candles flickered nearby. I imagined deep, emotional conversations where I
shared all of my profound knowledge with a younger sister in Christ.
The reality of being a discipler was much different than what I had imagined.
Picture two ladies trying to go through a discipleship lesson together, while also having
to break up a sibling squabble, or quiet a fussy baby. Instead of flickering, scented
candles, you might find overflowing laundry baskets stacked in a corner or a sink filled
with dirty dishes. Those deep conversations that I was ready to spill my knowledge into
were replaced with, “Um…I don’t know the answer to that question. Let me get back to
you on that!”
Being a discipler is not everything I imagined it would be, it became so much more!
It taught me that anything good I had to contribute was not because of my own
knowledge, and EVERYTHING to do with God’s Word. Not only am I teaching from a
discipleship book, but I’m teaching by my example and I’ve learned the importance of
being faithful to God in all areas of my life.
There is nothing better than when the Spirit moves into a lesson and speaks to you
as you are studying with your disciple, or when you see your disciple understand
something that they had struggled with before. Watching your disciple make and reach
goals while growing in Christ makes all the failed expectations worth-while!