By Debbie Eaton & Haley Veturis
It all happened so fast. Before I (Haley) knew it, I was recruited to be part of a collaborative team to dream up a new event for women at our church. What came out of that collaborative effort was something far greater than I could’ve ever imagined. The event that we worked on was one of the greatest things our church had ever seen. But more importantly, what birthed out of this collaboration was a friendship, mentorship and life-long relationship with my mentor Debbie.
It was time to bring some fresh ideas to a project. I (Debbie) knew there were several young women who had creative ideas and rarely had been asked to contribute. So I gathered them together – we dreamed, brainstormed and designed. The project was a great success but the greatest gift was the reciprocal friendship and mentorship with Haley.
We can all agree that mentorship doesn’t just happen. It takes intentionality. Here are three steps toward expanding your perspective on life, work and multi-generational relationships:
1. PRAY EXPECTANTLY
Are we praying expectantly that God will provide? Sometimes, God targets the areas in our lives that call for growth; personal, spiritual, physical, professional or relational. As we pray, are we open and available to the answer that God has for us? Because that person might just come as your greatest surprise.
2. BRIDGE THE GAP
There’s something to learn from every generation and that’s the beauty of mentorship. It’s a reciprocal relationship where both parties are actively teaching, inspiring and encouraging one another. Generational differences bring in unique perspectives that create and cultivate richer conversation. After all, God doesn’t discriminate on age — He looks solely at the heart.
3. PRACTICE PRESENCE
This means, put down your phone, get out from behind the screen, and interact with the people that God has placed right in front of you. Quality time creates transforming moments that can profoundly change the trajectory of someone’s life. Don’t underestimate the ripple effect that mentorship has on others. Presence is a priceless investment with a lasting impact.
——————————————————————————————————
Debbie Eaton is on the leadership team at Cornerstone Fellowship Church in Northern CA. She is passionate about leadership development and building bridges between generations because both create and cultivate influential moments of connection. She loves writing, speaking, leadership and is most inspired by her husband of 30 years and her teenage son. She was formerly the Director of Women’s Ministry at Saddleback Church and writes for SheReadsTruth and is an advisor for the IF-Gathering and consults with church leaders.
Haley Veturis is the Social Media Manager for Saddleback Church. A California-native, she is the Co-Founder The OC Social Media Summit, Social Ecclesia Conference and was named one of Christianity Today’s Top 33 Under 33. Her passions outside of ministry and social media include: CrossFit, gourmet coffee and college football. Fight on!
