“The Bible challenges men and women to lead by example and also to teach and pour into those […] a few steps behind.” Annie. F. Downs, 100 Days To Brave

I love that Downs addresses a stumbling block many of us have to pursuing any kind of mentoring relationship: the thought we are unqualified. What qualification are we waiting for? A title? A seminary degree? Some perceived success? Accolades? Newspaper columns? Blog post features? A Wikipedia page? Maybe, just maybe, perhaps a certificate of attendance is enough…?

Whenever we walk along a path we can turn around and point to it. We can show where the safe spots are and where the puddles are muddyingly deep. We can warn against the slippery parts and point out the unstable edges. We can also highlight the photo-worthy pauses and recommend rest stops. We know the road we walked because we walked it.

Let’s be open to listening to others a little further back on paths like ours. Let’s be brave to share our stories and listen to theirs. Being brave (especially being brave enough to be authentic) is what this book is about, after all.