I was one of those children who never ate. I was picky and sustained my life with mac & cheese and pb&j. As I got older, it became apparent that this was a) not going to work out for me in life, and b) not going to go away if left to my own devices. My mother started introducing new foods to me, which I would pick at and generally regard with suspicion. Eventually, she would tell me, “Eat what you can, let the rest go.”

As I grew up, I encountered problems that were even greater than the world not containing enough mac & cheese for me. My mom’s favorite piece of advice was always, “Take what you need, let the rest go.”

I say all that to say this: what we pour into the lives of others matters.

In life, that phrase has become something of a mantra for me. I eat what I can, do what I can, take what I need, and let the rest go. Not because my mother desperately wanted me to become this way. Just by sheer repetition, that phrase worked itself into the core of my being, and now I am a person who takes what she needs and lets the rest go.

It makes you wonder what you have unintentionally sewn into someone’s life (or at least it makes me think about that).

One piece of wisdom that was intentionally given to me came from an old family friend (not in age, but in length of friendship...promise). When I was young, she and my mother would hang out and talk, usually for much longer than my 8-year-old self could endure willingly. But I always felt like it was my duty to sit and listen for as long as I could (out of respect, not nosiness...promise). Always after they discussed any struggle, crisis, or bad decision that she had seen in her family or her ministry, our friend would turn to me and shout, “Emily! Be different! Do better!” To which I responded, as any 8-year-old would, “Okay.”

I can’t tell you anything about the topics she and my mother discussed. But I can tell you that she was the first person to ever put lipstick on me and also the first person to tell me to be different.

She instilled the value of learning from the mistakes of others. I’ve made plenty of my own mistakes. But I also have the ability to glean wisdom from the mistakes of others. I learned to budget my time and money. Also, I didn’t do drugs (it didn’t fall under the “what I need” category so I let it go).

This begs the question: what have I intentionally sewn into the lives of others?

In Priscilla Shirer’s Gideon study, she highlights the fact that the Israelites (in Judges 6) were in something of the same boat we are. They had been instructed by God to intentionally pass on their faith to the next generation by constant repetition of the works God had done on Israel’s behalf.

In Deuteronomy 6, God had told Israel,

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deut. 6:6-7, NIV)

But Israel dropped the ball.

After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. (Judges 2:10-11, NIV)

Somewhere along the line, someone decided it wasn’t important to tell the story of all God had done for them. As a result, they were unintentionally inundated with messages that had shaped their view of themselves, God, the land, morality, etc. By the time Gideon came around, the Israelites had succumbed not only to the culture around them, but also to a host of outside invaders who had left them weak, starving, and terrified.

Shirer makes the point that this shouldn’t be the case. (To which I say, “duh!”)  If the parents, grandparents, and family friends had taught Gideon’s generation like they should have, if Gideon’s generation had listened and learned like they should have, this would not be the case. This whole situation could have been avoided.

How many bad situations in my life were avoided because one of my mom’s friends told me to be different and do better? How many more could have been avoided if I had had other women in my life who were also imparting wisdom?

Now the real teeth-kicker: how many mistakes could I help others avoid if I took the time to share, to impart wisdom, to mentor?

See, the people around me — my family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors — have been entrusted to me by God. In His wisdom, He put me where I am, when I am, with the people I am so I could influence and impact them for His kingdom. And the same is true for you, Reader. You are where and when you are, and with whom you are, for a reason.

So am I intentionally passing on the right things, pointing people toward the God I serve? Am I making a point to learn from those who are wiser than I? Are you? Are we living up to all that has been entrusted to us? Let’s glean wisdom from the mistakes of the Israelites and ensure that the next generation is different and better for having known us.