Someone who walks with you in your transition to your next chapter.

By Mike Jordahl
CityLife Director, 20s Mission, The Navigators

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Throughout my adult life I have had a few trusted friends – both men and women – walk alongside me. These friends have been mentors and coaches in my life. They have taught me and encouraged me, believed in me and cautioned me, rejoiced, wept and prayed with me. Mostly, they have pointed me to Jesus and to the reality of His work on the cross for me and His faithful work in me.

Al and Pat walked alongside me for my first three years after college. For most of that time, I worked as a manager in an accounting firm and then as an assistant circulation manager at a newspaper. The latter job was grueling. Sometimes I worked 80 hour weeks. Usually I worked weekends. I was also reaching out at a nearby campus, leading a bible study and discipling a few men.

During those days I often felt underpaid, unappreciated and alone. I had no time to myself. My dream of making my life “count” and of fulfilling my destiny seemed very distant. My quiet times sometimes became my “quiet minutes” and the half days with the Lord I enjoyed so much as a student became a rare but needed lifeline.

I am not sure I would have survived those days without Al & Pat. They literally put their arms around my shoulder and encouraged me to keep moving forward. God was maturing me as a man and a leader. Al and Pat were my cheerleaders.

What I experienced in those years seems to be a common theme in the lives of many young men and women in their 20’s. They all seem to experience – in one way or another – the demands of work along with a variety of other stresses, including occasional relational conflicts, moral choices, financial struggles and more. I have noticed that most who survive these challenges are encouraged forward by someone who is willing to walk alongside them.

How about you? Are you someone who would benefit from having someone walk alongside you? Chances are that you would. The chances are also fairly high that someone around you would love to have this role in your life! But how will you make it happen? Here are a few simple ideas to help you find an alongsider:

1. Pray: Ask God to give you someone who will walk alongside you. Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”. (John 15:7) Start by asking him for someone who will walk with you, mentor you, coach you.

2. Get Connected: As you prepare to move into your new job, ask your current circle of friends for some help in connecting you with someone in your new city. If you haven’t done this already, check out the Navconnect website. Following the “Maps” link will take you to a US map that has the names and contact info of people who can help you connect with alongsiders all over the country.

3. Initiate: Take the first step. For some reason, this is hard for many of us. Get over it. Go ahead and ask someone to meet you for coffee or lunch. You can simply say something like “Can I treat you to breakfast sometime next week? I have some questions about making life work now that I am settling into post-college life. I am guessing you have some wisdom you could pass on to me.” (If they say “no,” just shake it off and ask someone else!)

Take this “first step” with several people. As you do this, you will likely find someone that you really connect with. You might find that one friend will walk alongside you with work issues and another might be more helpful in figuring out how to be salt and light among those who don’t know Christ.

4. Consider pursuing a “virtual alongsider”: Although it may be the ideal, sometimes we just can’t find a local person who can be our Al and Pat. In this case, consider initiating a phone call or email relationship with someone you know from an earlier portion of your life.

5. Consider launching or joining a CityLife Team: Sometimes we just take a job that comes our way no matter where the job is. Usually though we have several important criteria in deciding where to even look for a job. Geographical preferences, proximity to family and/or to adventure and climate seem to factor heavily for many who are graduating these days.

I urge you to consider two more important factors: spiritual encouragement and missional living. (Missional living: what happens when one intentionally seeks out good news relationships with those who don’t know Christ.) One reason I moved to the town I lived in after college is because I knew Al and Pat were there and I knew they would walk alongside me. I also knew that I could have some great opportunities to reach out to others. You will be wise to purpose to pursue a future in a place where can you get the encouragement of like-hearted men and women and where you can have maximum opportunity to reach out to others.

If you haven’t already, consider starting or joining a CityLife Team. CityLife Team members commit to live near each other and share in this CityLife Covenant:

By God’s grace…

• I will pursue Christ and walk with Him with all my heart.
• I will pursue excellence in my workplace and profession.
• I will live and disciple among those who don’t know Christ – especially among my peers.
• I will team with others of like heart and purpose.

Each CityLife Team has a Navigator mentor whose role is to help the CityLife Team fulfill their covenant as well as adapt to life in their city. Mentors are Navigator stakeholders (lay people) or Nav Staff who share in this CityLife vision, have been certified to serve City Life Teams in this way and who can help you connect with others who can also walk alongside you.

As I write this, I am praying for you, the reader, that God will give you all you need to thrive in your next chapter of life! I pray He will give you an “alongsider” in your life! And I pray that you will do much more than survive these next years. May God help you to make connections with others, initiate with them, surround you with like-hearted friends and give you an alongsider who will walk alongside you as you continue your exciting transition from college life to working life. May He bless you in many ways and may you in turn be used by Him for His purposes right where He places you!

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Mike Jordahl lives in Colorado Springs with his wife Nancy and youngest son, Peter. Mike currently directs CityLife – a Nav ministry focused on college grads in their 20s. Mike can be contacted by using this Navigator Contact form if you would like to discuss any portion of this article with him.