Success! I said, “I want to be successful.” “Self?” I asked and Self said, “Yes? Well, how are you going to be successful and what does that mean? What do I want to do with my life? How am I going to reach this vague goal?”

Have you ever had this kind of conversation in your mind? A great way to attain success in life is to surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed. Cultivate a community of supporters. People who you admire, trust, and feel you can learn from. Everyone needs a cheerleader and finding a mentor in someone you admire can be very valuable.

On the flip side you may be saying to yourself I sure wish I could teach someone this lesson I learned in life. I want to help someone get ahead in life and I think they could use the knowledge that I have to leap ahead. Mentoring a person who doesn’t have your same skill set can be very rewarding to both of you. You have an opportunity to give and invest in someone’s life and a chance to learn from what they have to offer.

Living life together means walking with someone you care about and whom you want to invest. Encouraging others is rewarding and being there for them in tough times is too. If you are considering mentoring you may be thinking about working with a teen that touches your heart, a young dating couple, a married couple, a guy or gal who desires spiritual growth. There are many areas you can enter into a relationship that focuses on mentoring. Consider how you can make a difference and ‘do life’ together.

God has a plan for you and every member of your family and congregation. Think of the impact one person can make. Sure, something is always bound to “pop up” and at times lives gets really busy, but consider how you can serve others in ministry by living life together. Be a positive influence by speaking an encouraging word, smiling, or praying for the person standing on the corner. Be sure to testify what the Lord is doing in your life; give him the glory for the things that are happening in the lives of those around you. Invest in someone’s life. For me this manifested itself by encouraging a young girl in our congregation to memorize a scripture a week and I would bring her a little token gift for each scripture she would memorize and recite. This developed into a trusting relationship so I could ask her the deeper questions about her feelings and relationships. Develop relationships with those in your community — you can help change lives one at a time.

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Kim Flynn is a member of the Pastoral Ministries staff at Focus on the Family. She is also involved in lay ministry and enjoys pursuing her gifts in writing and music. She lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., with her husband, Tom.