For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.
Proverbs 24:16
Hindsight Ministry
When investing in the next generation, there is the temptation to lose sight of a critical principle. People may be growing more than you realize. Tommy Nelson once said, “We preach miles but grow inches.” This leads to fundamental principles to encourage you as and your investment in ministering to the next generation:
- Discipleship needs to soak.
- In the same way, tea is better when it steeps, and so is discipleship when it has time to soak.
- The bottom line of discipleship that allows for soaking asks the discipler to be patient.
- Development is incremental.
- While we desire leaps and bounds of growth in ourselves and others, the reality is that it takes time. Often, we don’t even realize the development that occurred during that time. Measurements can be helpful here, but they can also be misleading.
- The bottom line, incremental development discipleship asks the discipler to be consistent.
- Lessons are learned looking back.
- At the moment, it’s hard to see the forest through the trees. I remember looking at the dazzling colors of Colorado in the fall with the backdrop of snow-peaked mountains. My mind couldn’t apprehend the beauty appropriately. I just had to sit and stare. Looking back, I see the beauty more profoundly.
- The bottom line, lessons learned looking back ask the discipler to be faithful.
- Growth is cyclical.
- There are times in discipleship when a disciple seems to advance in what appears to be two steps forward. However, the next time you’re together, the immaturity shows itself, and you note that he’s taken five steps back. Growth is not linear. It’s often one step forward and two steps back.
- The bottom line, cyclical growth asks the discipler to be hopeful.
- Relationships are key.
- Transactional discipleship does not stick. Trying to check a box of “meetings” will not suffice in life-transformational discipleship. There are certain outliers here, but in a significant part, discipleship will occur in the context of relationships.
- The bottom line, relationships ask the discipler to be available.
- Follow-up is critical.
- Busyness is the bane of 21st-century existence. There is no escaping this reality. However, discipleship moves us toward a better way.
- The bottom line, follow-up asks the discipler to be intentional.