unHOLY Fridays: UNqualified

I often feel unqualified for many of the things that I have to be.

There is no training to be a friend. Sometimes I am torn between wanting to be a good friend and the wear and tear of the rest of life that inhibits me from it.

There is no training to be a wife.  There should be.  But not the stereotypical things you might think (cooking, cleaning, laundry - blah!), but rather, how to live with someone else, how to appreciate your spouse, and, maybe even how to mind read.  That'd be good.

There's no "mom-training", Bachelor's in Mom-ology, or certificate to gain to be a mom.  (And I often think there should be.)  Unlike many mom's who claim they can determine what is going on based on each nuance of every cry - I can't.  I've got three of them pretty much nailed: hunger, pain, and fatigue.  All others remain a mystery.

There's no training for being a good sister, daughter, member of the family.

You get the idea.

I am thankful that we have the ability to find people in our lives to mentor us.  When I feel unqualified for the things I have to do or the roles I need to fill, it is nice to look towards those who have mentored me and see how they have been able to do these things before me. 

Mentoring is something that few feel qualified for, and yet, we all benefit from.  I have heard so many people say that they wish they had a mentor, and the answer really is easy: just ask someone.

I honestly believe that everyone should have a mentor - but for that to be the case, everyone needs to be willing to be a mentor themselves.  Maybe it's just the word itself that throws people off, but really it doesn't take someone with a perfectly polished life to mentor.  It just takes the willingness to share your journey with others and become a part of theirs.

When it comes to the list of things that I feel unqualified for - this is also probably pretty close to the top of the list.  But the nice thing is that being mentored helps me to mentor well.

So, I want to throw it out there to you.  Are you being mentored? (Who is pouring into your life?)
Are you a mentor? (Whose life are you pouring into?)

And lastly, thanks to all who have mentored me.  I know I'm a work in progress (that's for sure) but your input in my life has made a major impression.