Becoming Titus 2: How do we train up?

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Titus 2:3-5 NIV 

³Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Welcome to our Becoming Titus 2 discussion series!  This month we are considering, "How do we train the younger women? Who are the younger women?" And we are going to change things up a bit by not only linking up posts and leaving comments below, but also by taking advantage of the Extravagant Grace Community at Blog Frog.

I thought this would be a great forum for us to use, since the topic of training up the younger women is so rich.  We can train up our children, our nieces, our neighbor's daughters, and our daughter's friends,  The younger women at church, in a Sunday school class or youth group or Bible study.  Our younger co-worker.  Our spiritually younger friend.  Essentially, our call for who we train up depends on who God has brought into our lives.


Who has God brought into your life to train up?

Like many of you, God has brought young women into my life through having my own daughters.  But He has stretched my heart and expanded my call to training by giving me a spiritual daughter -- a beautiful young woman who I get to care for as a mother would for her own -- as well as dozens of teen girls.

In our unique situation, living at a boarding and day school, I find myself with dozens and dozens of girls to train up every year. I simply wait on the Lord to bring them to me, and answer the call by share with them God's Word, Biblical principles, and life lessons.  But it isn't always so intentional.  For some of these girls, simply going to their game is the greatest example of mothering they've ever had.  Or writing a note of encouragement.  Or taking them to the hospital when they twist their ankle.  Or making a hair appointment for their prom.  Or simply being the example of a woman pursuing God with all their heart.


But how do you train up the younger women?

Mentoring teenage girls has taught me that training up the younger women ought to be intentional, but most often it is what they catch by witnessing our lives more than what we attempt to teach them in any sort of formal way. I am more often than not humbled by the impact I've had, when I was completely oblivious to the opportunity before me.  Yet it is the intentionally of a weekly time together with the teenage girls, using the ETC. format I share about at Refresh that has birthed many of the relationships and laid ground work for teaching those more formal Biblical principles.


In essence, mentoring teenagers has actually taught me how to mentor my own daughters.  I live by the principle that is needs to be caught, but there most also be intentionality.  Within our own home, my children need to see me pursuing God through the practical disciplines of quiet time, Scripture memory, prayer, Bible study, serving, and mentoring the next generation.   But I also need to slow down so that I can seize the teachable moments to tell of God's Word and share Jesus' love.  It comes in the form of tending to boo-boos and listening to their stories, or responding to a crisis to helping through on a tough project.   I believe the most under-valued training moment is the point of discipline, for there we have the opportunity to not only train up the behavior, but more importantly the heart. 


I must say, it is much more challenging to train up our own children, because it is a 24-7 job that isn't limited to an evening meeting or an afternoon cup of tea!  But, oh, it is such a worthy call, one that many of us miss.  It is part of the reason that I will be homeschooling my ten-year-old daughter next year.  She has one more year before she enters junior high school, and my husband and I feel passionate about giving her a training up year in everything from home-keeping to serving out of comfort zones to understanding a Biblical worldview.   We can not underestimate the responsibility and opportunity to train up our childrens' hearts, minds, and body for the Lord's sake.  This is be an exciting and stretching opportunity to give our oldest daughter, setting a pattern for the younger ones, as well!

The younger people in our lives, whether our children or others, are crying out for love and training.  When God calls us to such a task -- an obvious one, as we look around at the people in our lives -- He is faithful to equip us to fulfill this most precious responsibility. 


Tell us, what is your experience in training up the young women in your life?  Share a comment or a link to your blog!





Do you have questions about training up? Stop over our Extravagant Grace Community at Blog Frog to ask to your heart's content!

Enjoy our Previous Discussions

1. Jan ~ Beliefs about Titus 2 in Today's Culture
2. Feb ~ What does it mean to be reverent?
3. Mar ~ What does it mean to be slanderers and addicted (to too much wine)?
4. Apr ~ How do we teach what is good?

And Join Our Next Discussions

1. Jun ~ How do we train the younger women to love their husbands?
2. Jul ~ How do we train the younger women to love their children?
3. Aug ~ How do we learn to be self-controlled and pure?
4. Sep ~ What does it mean to be busy at home?
5. Oct ~ What does it mean to be kind?
6. Nov ~ What does it mean to be subject to our husband?
7. Dec ~ How does becoming a Titus 2 woman cause the Word of God to not be maligned?

By His Grace & Mighty Power,

Don't miss an extravagant grace moment!   

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