5 Ways to Help Others Walk In Their Own Shoes

I remember the first time someone asked me to speak at a conference. I had only been teaching for about a year and I wasn’t sure I was ready. I knew it was going to stretch me more than I thought was possible.

I was one scared newbie!

But I’ll never forget the way it made me feel to know that someone saw in me something I never had seen in myself. I was honored by her confidence in me and I knew that if I was going to say anything at that conference that would be worth listening to, I would need to saturate myself in His Word and bask in His presence. I was just to be a voice doing all I could to convey His heart to theirs.

That was 24 years ago and a plethora of speaking engagements later my role is still the same. I’m just a voice. He is the message.

Looking back, I can’t help but wonder where I would be if that one sweet woman wouldn’t have seen potential in me. 

I learned a lot from her as well as several other women who have poured their lives into mine and challenged me to become who I was created to be.

Those sweet women helped me understand the value as well as some key ingredients necessary to help other women step into the shoes they were meant to fill. 

Here’s five ways to help other women walk in their own God-given shoes:

1. See beyond the task. As leaders, it is so easy to get focused on the task at hand that we forget to get other women involved in the process. All the planning, preparing and organizing won’t happen unless others get involved. Don’t let the event become bigger than those you lead.
2. Look for potential. Lead with your eyes open and try to see potential abilities, gifts and talents in others. Notice those who are on the fringe and seem to be uninvolved. It may just be that they are waiting to be asked and that your invitation will take them from the fringe and put them on the forefront of what God is calling them to.
3. Offer opportunities. Whether an opportunity is already available or your have to creatively come up with one, be sure to provide a means in which you can give others a chance to stretch themselves further than they think they are capable.
4. Lend a helping hand. Fulfilling our God-given destiny is a journey that is seldom walked alone. We need to help others along the way. Good leaders help those they lead develop their gifts and abilities. We're not there to make others become "Mini-me's" - we're there to help them walk well in their own shoes.
5. Cheer others on. Ministry is multifaceted and often takes many hearts and hands to function effectively. We're all on the same team and ultimately have the same goal. There’s a lot of room for others to get involved so there’s no room for jealousy or personal agendas. Good leaders cheer others on without worrying about someone else being better than they are.

God has given leaders the unique role and responsibility of helping others become who they were created to be. Always on the lookout for latent talent and God-given gifts, good leaders see in others what they may not see in themselves and then not only offer them opportunities to begin fulfilling them but also help them along the way. And as a leader, there is nothing so sweet as watching other women walk well in their own shoes.

Stephanie Shott is the author of Understanding What Matters Most (a Bible study on Ecclesiastes) and founder of The M.O.M. Initiative (a missional mentoring ministry dedicated to taking Titus 2 to the streets). She is also a popular, practical and passionate speaker and Bible teacher who travels to share hope for the hurting, peace for the weary and truth for all. 

Websites: www.stephanieshott.com

                    www.themominitiative.com 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Stephanie-Shott/1303068879

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephanieshott

Email: stephanieshott@me.com

Phone: 904-343-7400