Proverbs 18:24 "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer to a brother."
Never has this verse meant more to me than it has since I met my mentor. At Dallas Baptist, everybody is presented with the opportunity to sign up to have a mentor throughout the year. As a freshmen, I thought it would be a wise decision to do this, and boy did I hit the jack pot with the one they gave to me. I know a lot of prayer and consideration went into which mentor got which mentee assigned to them. However, I know God and DBU made the perfect decision when they assigned Kirsten to me.
Let me give you a little information about Kirst...
Kirsten McKimmey is a junior (well, now a senior... wow) at Dallas Baptist. She is a communications major, and a transfer from UT. She has the kindest, and most loving spirit of somebody I have ever met. She loves Jesus with such a passion that would make anybody question why they wouldn't love Him.
Anyway...My first semester of college, was the hardest semester I have ever gone through. From leaving California, to leaving my family, and to losing people in my life. Little did I know that Kirsten would have been the biggest influence on my life. Without judgement, or snide remarks Kirsten listened to everything I said and gave the best advice she could. Instead of giving me her own worldly advice, I always received advice God gave to her.
Through my first semester of college, my mentor encouraged me to live my life in a way that would glorify God. I have always heard this statement throughout my life, but it never stuck until Kirsten made me realize how important it is to truly put God first in my life. Going into college, I had many friends in my life that constantly pulled me away from the One who loves me the most. One day, my mentor told me that it's okay to have less friends that hold more quality in my life; rather than having more friends that bring less quality to my life.
A few days after this, I went to a church where we focused solely on Proverbs 18:24, and how much it truly impacts a persons life. It was then I realized that what Kirsten said rang 100% true. That was when I took a step back and really looked at my life. I decided then and there that it was time to eliminate friendships that were unfulfilling to Christ. I started to focus on friendships that truly encouraged me to grow further in my faith and helped me realize it's okay to have bad days.
Through Kirsten and these new friendships, it became clear that it's okay to sometimes be broken. Psalm 34:17-18 says, "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." These verses have been the one thing to get me through all my struggles this past year. Whenever I feel my heart beginning to struggle again, I either read these verses, or I text the one girl who always seems to be available.
Kirsten,
If you can't already tell, this post is all for you! It's a thank you for all you've done for me so far. I want to thank you for being the best mentor this mentee could have asked for, and so much more. You have helped me realize that it's truly okay to not be okay sometimes. Even when I felt that my world was completely falling apart, you showed me why it wasn't. In my search for a real church home and friends who brought God to my life, you were constantly there encouraging me. During the days where I felt that I couldn't do anything right, you showed me that I could. When I finally felt Gods presence, I immediately ran to you to tell you it was time for me to start living 100% for Him. When I started my first year of college, I never could have imagined you walking into my life. Now I can't imagine a better mentor to walk through life with. I can't wait to see what the next year brings in our God ordained mentorship. Thank you, Kirsten, for signing up to have me (a mess of a girl) as your mentee, and I am glad I signed up to have you as my mentor.
Love,
Malory
To all those considering having a mentor, do it. You won't regret a decision as life altering as this one. Maybe you'll even be lucky to get somebody half as amazing as Kirsten. If you're considering being a mentor, do it. Maybe you'll get somebody as broken as I was to help live life in a positive way. I challenge everybody to obey the Lord and participate in a mentor ship. It was definitely the best decision I have ever made, and I'm glad God and DBU gave me this opportunity.
