The Three E’s

A seasoned mom was what I was asked to be.
It makes sense.
I have raised five children who are now grown; my youngest child is in college.
I am in my mid-fifties; a bit on the other side of middle.

It was a wonderful thing to be asked.
I was to be a seasoned mom at a young mother’s breakfast that was happening at church.
I was simply asked to sit at the table with some of the younger moms.
That would indeed be my pleasure.

Having a seasoned mom at the table may open the door for conversation.
Having a seasoned mom who has walked where they are walking may be a blessing.
Having a seasoned mom who is also a bit older in her faith might spur a time a prayer.
Having a seasoned mom gives them an example to follow.

I considered this request a privilege.
I didn’t know what to expect, since it was my first young mother’s breakfast.
I baked something to bring with me to add to the buffet of food.
I drove over to church.

Lord, make me a blessing today, was my prayer as I drove.
It was pouring rain that morning.
I wore a rain jacket with a hood and put my purse diagonally across my chest.
I pushed the button to open my polka dotted umbrella and carried my dish in the other hand.

I no sooner got out of the car, I saw a young mother trying to walk quickly with her little toddler.
He saw it as more of an adventure; there was no need for his little feet to hurry.
Would you like to walk under my umbrella? I said, not giving her much of a choice.
She was carrying her son at this point and the three of us walked inside.

Lord make me a blessing today.

I never saw so many mothers and small children.
Dedicated women were in the nursery and other classrooms to take care of the little ones.
I carried my dish to the room where the breakfast was to be held.
I expected Chinet plates, plastic utensils, and Styrofoam cups.

When I entered the room, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
There in front of me were eight round tables, covered in white tablecloths.
Each table had a lovely pink runner and a bouquet of flowers in the center.
Each place setting was real china with lovely silverware and decorative napkins.

The buffet table was filled with food: breakfast casseroles, fresh fruit, muffins, and bread.
On a table next to the window were large pots of coffee and hot water for tea.
On that same table were delicate tea cups and saucers in the same china pattern.
The room exuded love.

The young mothers came in and took a seat around the many tables.
They all were wearing name tags.
Some mothers already knew each other; some mothers were new.
The atmosphere in the room was warm and inviting.

The head of the women’s ministry opened our morning in prayer.
She invited everyone to eat from the bountiful table.
She sat next to me at breakfast.
Two seasoned moms, each the same age; she with six children and me with five.

I quietly asked her about the china.
She quietly answered that it was her own china and her mother’s silverware.
This sweet woman brought all of her china from home.
This quarterly breakfast was to be a special morning for the young mothers.

There was a speaker that morning as well.
I sat there and looked around and realized that I was witnessing the Three E’s.
The Three E’s that are vital to discipleship.
The Three E’s are: Edify, Encourage, and Equip.

The Three E’s can happen anywhere.
You can teach a young mother in a classroom.
You can encourage her over the phone.
However, this morning was different.

This morning, the young mothers were loved and respected.
They were respected enough to go the extra mile beyond paper plates and plastic utensils.
The presentation of the food and the beautiful tables made these women feel special.
The mothers took the time to get up and out the door with little children on a very rainy day.

The young mothers were not disappointed.
God was pleased.
It is exactly the way Jesus handled His ministry.
Jesus met their physical needs first before teaching them about the Kingdom of God.

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at His feet; and He healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion on these people; they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way. His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves and the fish, and when He had given thanks, He broke them and gave them to the disciples and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. (Matthew 15:29-37)

Jesus could have sat the people down and began to teach them.
Jesus could have dismissed their hunger and went about His Father’s business.
However, that is not Jesus’ way.
Jesus ministered to the whole person; He ministered to their body and their soul.

So should we.
This young mother’s breakfast could have been a seminar.
The women could have come to a classroom, listen to a speaker, and then go home.
Following Jesus’ model, the mothers were fed first in their body and then fed in their soul.

As a seasoned mom, I was blessed.
I can only imagine the blessing the young mothers experienced that morning.
I helped put dirty dishes, cups, saucers, and utensils on a cart that was wheeled to the kitchen.
There in the kitchen women were waiting to wash each one by hand.

I got in my car to drive home.
I experienced the Three E’s that morning.
Jesus’s example had been followed: the mothers were ministered to, in body and soul.
The young mothers were discipled with a practical faith.

There are practical things that we can do to bring others closer to Jesus.
It may take a little bit of extra effort on our part but the recipient will be blessed.
The Three E’s are vital when we are discipling another person.
Edify, Equip, and Encourage all in Jesus’ name and for His glory alone.