By CB

Have you ever played “Whac-A-Mole” at a children’s arcade?  The object of this game is to bop a plastic mole on the head with a big mallet when the mole randomly pops up out of various holes in a table.  The more moles you hit, the higher your score.

Some people I know seem to have a “Whac-a-Mole” theology when it comes to God and His dealings with them.  One friend of mine is afraid to take the opportunity to offer encouragement or admonishment to someone for fear she will do it wrongly and God will be upset.  Another wonders to herself, “What if I can’t make a decision between what’s good and what’s best in a circumstance?  God could be disappointed if I make the wrong choice.”  Like the mole, if we pop up in the right place but with the wrong advice for someone–WHACK! So we stay safely underground, frozen in fear.

But I don’t believe that’s how God works.  Romans 8:28 reminds us, “God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”  Proverbs 19:21 also says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”  Thinking of it in practical terms, we really can’t deal God a card He can’t play.  So what are we afraid of?

Granted, James 3:1 cautions that not many should presume to be teachers because they will be judged more harshly.  We are accountable for living according to the principles set forth in the Word of God.  However, God has the ability to turn even things Satan intended for evil into good (Genesis 50:20).  If He can turn Satan’s evil intents into good, how much more can He turn our good (but possibly poorly administered) intentions into greater good?  He can.

When it comes to eMentoring, there can be the fear of saying the wrong thing.  What if we say something that makes the situation worse?  We usually just have one side of the story from a mentee, and we don’t have the advantage of eye contact or body language.  How can we be confident?

Remember, even in our own prayers the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we don’t know what to say (Rom. 8:26).  He can work through us!

I often pray that God will take whatever I’ve said in His Spirit and cause it to resonate over and over in the mind of the mentee.  Whatever I’ve said in the flesh, I pray they will promptly forget and that God will just remove my errors from their minds.  I act out of faith, not fear.  He’s not there to “whack” my efforts, but to take them, use them, and turn them into good.