By Janie Myers
When you think the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 to “Go, Teach…” does mentoring come to mind? Maybe it should. Your first thought might be “I can’t do that”, or “I would like to mentor because there are some people out there that really need help and direction!” Or maybe it’s “I’ve got an idea of what God wants in my life and want to help others now.” Have you ever thought like that? Mentoring means coming alongside someone to encourage and teach values that will build worth. Now consider to whom does this worth lend value? What is it you want to accomplish for all eternity in the lives of others and in your own life? Christian mentoring involves praying/listening/instructing in God’s word.
My first formal mentoring landed in my lap when I watched a woman seeking to draw closer to the Lord through a study of God’s word. After the 4 week DVD discussion concluded, I found myself asking her if she would like to go through a workbook called “The Significant Woman”. This ten week course took us six months to complete with missed meetings, obstacles, etc., but now this woman is prepared for a brighter journey with a new career path that has not been shown to her as yet. God knows his plans for her! She is now confident God is leading her and is happily walking with Him on the journey daily.
Here are her comments on mentoring: “I cannot begin to tell you how much the time meant to me. I felt that you were God's messenger to get me back on track. You helped me open my eyes and see the world again thru God's eyes. I had never given up on my faith, but I was too busy to see. I am now getting stronger every day thanks to your mentoring starting last fall. I am still reading the Bible everyday and growing in knowledge.” This was the Lord’s work and it was truly joyous to participate in His plan for both our lives. Mentoring changes the life of both the mentor and the one being mentored.
In the second mentoring assignment God gave me, we chose the book “Mentoring 101”. This young lawyer bloomed and renewed her relationship with the living Lord as the most important aspect of her life. In an email back to me one day when I had to cancel our meeting, she wrote “I just looked up Roman 8:28 and already had it underlined from a Bible study I did 14 years ago. Great verse! And even though it’s tough, ‘faith is living as though the Bible is true regardless of current circumstances…’” She was encouraging me with this verse!
Here are her comments on mentoring: “I cannot begin to tell you how much the time meant to me. I felt that you were God's messenger to get me back on track. You helped me open my eyes and see the world again thru God's eyes. I had never given up on my faith, but I was too busy to see. I am now getting stronger every day thanks to your mentoring starting last fall. I am still reading the Bible everyday and growing in knowledge.” This was the Lord’s work and it was truly joyous to participate in His plan for both our lives. Mentoring changes the life of both the mentor and the one being mentored.
In the second mentoring assignment God gave me, we chose the book “Mentoring 101”. This young lawyer bloomed and renewed her relationship with the living Lord as the most important aspect of her life. In an email back to me one day when I had to cancel our meeting, she wrote “I just looked up Roman 8:28 and already had it underlined from a Bible study I did 14 years ago. Great verse! And even though it’s tough, ‘faith is living as though the Bible is true regardless of current circumstances…’” She was encouraging me with this verse!
In both of these experiences, God showed up! I can’t sit on the sidelines when time invested in another individual is what I’m called to do. I’m praying for God to send me the next woman He plans for me to help on this journey. We all need encouragement and I think our Lord was speaking about it with his analogy of fruit in John 15. Check it out; pray about it….see to whom you may be called to serve as a mentor. Your life will never be the same!
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