Mentor - a wise & trusted counselor, teacher.
I think it has become very rare these days for anyone to actually have a mentoring relationship with someone else, especially in the church (at least the churches that I've been to).
I find myself thinking about this a lot lately, wishing for a person like this in my life.
I've had it in the past. When I went to college I was a new Christian (1 year old), and had never really been discipled. I got together with another girl in a similar situation and our Resident Assistant became our mentor - wise & trusted counselor, teacher. I remember that year vividly. I loved that small group of girls and I hated it at the same time. I loved it because I was learning so much about Jesus and about who He made me to be, it was exciting. I often hated it though because I also knew it was a place where I couldn't hide what was really going on inside. If I had sin issue I was struggling with, if I wasn't spending quiet time with the Lord, etc., I knew that I would not be able to leave that place without talking about it and praying about it. If you're anything like me then you know that the first instinct when you are struggling is not to stop and talk about it and certainly not to pray about it - you want to run from it, ignore it, hide it, etc. I couldn't do that with this group and I loved that.
I've missed that ever since.
I do have one friend who has been an informal mentor to me over the years but we no longer live near each other. We still play a huge role in each other's lives and I love that.
What I really want now is to find someone, more seasoned in their faith, that can me my wise & trusted counselor, teacher. I find myself needing the accountability and the wisdom that I could get in that kind of relationship.
Definitely an item for prayer.
So - what about you? Do you have a mentoring relationship with someone now? Have you been a mentor before? Have you been mentored before? Tell me about this. What role, if any, has mentorship played in your Christian walk?
1 comments:
Andie,
What a great thought you posted. I used to joke around that I can't help myself to Jesus, so how could I ever help someone else.
I have never been mentored by someone specifically. One friend of mine once said that everyone should have a Paul (mentor) and a Timothy (a student)in their life and more specifically in their daily walk with God. Basically we should all be learning from someone who is ahead of us in their walk and teaching someone who is newer in their walk.
I think men have more of an advantage when it comes to mentoring. As women we have to do like you just did and flat out ask about it.
Not to put you on the spot however, have you ever thought about being a person's mentor while you search for your own?
If you are searching for women in your church, I know a few that are really incredible. Some you already may know, you just have to look at them in a different light.
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