Over the past 5 years I have been running from a responsibility and a calling! After much prayer and help from my mentor, I began to open my heart and mind to what mentoring some one else might look like. Still to this day, I fight the battle of the mind (and the Devil) that show me all of the reasons why I am NOT capable and competent to lead and mentor people. What keeps me focused so that I don’t give up? What has been the turning point to embrace it instead of denying?
I believe it is crucial to know what mentoring really means. I believe that the reason I ran for so long was because of my ignorance of what it really was. The International Mission Board defines Mentoring as a form of teaching that includes walking alongside the person you are teaching and inviting him or her to learn from your example.
As I have learned more about who I am and what I have to offer then I have been more passionate to helping people discover who they are and what they have to offer. I have come to realize that most people need to see to believe therefore they learn from an example. So, I try to keeping to be the example for those who are watching me. How I handle situations, respond to circumstances, and actions I take when no one is watching are just a few examples. most of it is based on character and then gifting/talents.
The other thing I have learned as I have been embracing the call and responsibility is that it is a life long process. Just like our salvation and righteousness come through sanctification. It is a journey! This definitely makes the call a little more difficult, but that’s another area in which the Lord will test our obedience. Tim Elmore, founder of Growing Leaders, wrote a book called lifeGiving Mentors that share more about what, who, why and how to mentoring. He says that everyone can be a mentor if they have learned something from the Lord and they are willing to share it with someone else with the intent for them to develop and grow. Elmore says that mentoring at simplicity is seeing the potential of someone and running with it…providing resources, encouragement and lastly, empowering them to develop/grow into their potential.
One thing I always remember Jon Davis telling me is that you should always have a Paul, a Timothy and a Barnabas in your life. Paul is a personality that serves as your mentor, discipler, or leader! Timothy is someone that you’re pouring into and mentoring. And Barnabas is someone that is on the same page and level of Spiritual maturity as you that you can live life with. He was known as an encourager. I do have one of each of these roles in my life…my challenge to you is that you would identify those three roles in your life.
My Paul
My Timothy(s)
My Barnabas
