(If you missed the first part of this series, you can read it here.)
treasure stories
Whenever she met someone new, one of the first things Mrs. Kip wondered about them was this: what was their story?
Mrs. Kip was onto something. That’s one of the best questions to ask when you’re getting to know someone. Why? Because stories reveal truths about us that nothing else can. Our stories unlock parts of our hearts and lives that aren’t found anywhere else, revealing how we’ve come to where we are and why we’ve become who we are. So if you want to truly know and learn from someone, ask them for their story.
remember God’s work
When Mrs. Kip first arrived at the senior care center, it wasn’t clear to her what God’s purpose was for having her there. But she trusted that He was at work, because she had seen Him do great things in the past, and she believed He had more in store.
Mrs. Kip journaled faithfully for many years, preserving a record of her prayers and the ways God answered them. She didn’t know it at the time, but those journals would eventually become an incredibly helpful source for the young journalist assigned to write her story—and more than that, an inspiration to Aidyn’s faith.
Journaling isn’t for everyone, so I’m not saying you have to take up this particular practice. However, having a record of God’s work in your life can be an aid to your own memory and a source others can draw from later on, so I would encourage you to start writing things down if you don’t already. What this looks like for you will be different from how it looks for someone else. Maybe you take notes in the margins of your Bible or on the pages of your monthly planner. Maybe you scribble prayers on sticky notes and keep them in a folder. Or maybe you do something entirely different. It doesn’t matter how you record things so long as you do record them, because if you don’t, you’re likely to forget, and those after you won’t be given the gift of remembering.
stay small
Even though Mrs. Kip was part of some exciting things in her lifetime, she never bragged about her accomplishments. She saw herself as simply an ordinary (and ornery) woman whom God chose to use in extraordinary ways.
Mrs. Kip didn’t shy away from small things. She wanted to teach Aidyn some of the big things she’d learned about life, but she often used little things to do so—including autumn leaves and chocolate chip cookies, among other things. She saw God’s hand at work all around her and worked to help others notice.
when you are weak, He is strong
There’s a scene in the story where Mrs. Kip is having a bad day and isn’t in the most cheerful mood. When Aidyn comes to visit her, she isn’t the chipper person Aidyn has gotten used to. In this scene, their roles are switched for just a bit as Aidyn employs her own creativity to cheer up Mrs. Kip. In doing so, she uses some of the tools Mrs. Kip has taught her to use: her imagination and positivity.
Even on your bad days, you can still have an impact. Trust that God can use you even when you feel weak and unequipped for the task He has called you to accomplish.
“[Mrs. Kip] felt weaker than she ever had. More ill-equipped than she ever had. But she knew the Lord’s nudging when she felt it. And she knew he had answered her prayer from the courtyard—to give her joy and wisdom if any work remained for her.
Lord, my life is yours. Show me the way.”1
pay attention
Mrs. Kip recognized that each person needs to grow at their own pace. In her relationship with Aidyn, she paid close attention to where Aidyn was at, being careful to neither push her too hard nor coddle her too much. A conversation at Charles Slesher’s bedside (a fellow resident Mrs. Kip ministered to) shows this. In the same conversation, Mrs. Kip gently prods Aidyn out of her comfort zone by encouraging her to read some Scripture out loud, but she also urges Aidyn not to condemn herself for not reading her Bible regularly.
Mentoring someone takes work. You have to pay close attention to what is happening under the surface and act accordingly. Be willing to put in the effort required to soften the soil for planting, and learn to recognize the times when your words will land on fertile soil and take root. Know when to nudge someone forward and when to step back and let them go forth on their own. Remember that you were once where they are now, and they still have room to grow. Let them grow at their own pace. When you see signs of growth, lean into them and water what has been planted, trusting the Lord to bring a harvest in His time.
fight the good fight
When you seek to pass on your faith to someone, you will inevitably encounter obstacles. Mrs. Kip knew this. She realized that by seeking to help Aidyn grow in her faith, she was entrenching herself in the middle of a fierce spiritual battle.
Mrs. Kip didn’t enter the fray unprepared. She prayed and armed herself with the shield of faith and the sword of God’s Word, and she fought for Aidyn’s welfare with all the strength she had. As you mentor others, you will need to do the same, because battles will come along the way.
point to the power
From the start of Mrs. Kip and Aidyn’s relationship, they both knew that Mrs. Kip would not be on this earth long. Mrs. Kip felt this keenly and wanted to make the best use of the time she had with Aidyn, short as it would be. She didn’t want to leave Aidyn unprepared, and she knew that she needed to equip Aidyn to carry on without her.
That’s exactly what Mrs. Kip did. My favorite scene in the book is near the end, when Mrs. Kip knows her time is drawing near and she doesn’t have long to instill truth in Aidyn’s heart. I’ll save the details, but it’s a stunningly beautiful and moving example of one generation passing the flame of faith to the generation following them. By stepping out of the way and pointing beyond herself, Mrs. Kip directed Aidyn to the power she needed, equipping her to eventually be able to help others herself.
Will you do the same?
- Sara Brunsvold, The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip (Grand Rapids: Revell, 2022), 256. ↩︎
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