Over and Under (Part 3)

We wrap up our discussion of mentoring and being mentored with a quote from Jesus that came as He sent the disciples out to minister on their own.  He told them in Matthew 10:8 (NIV), "Freely you have received, freely give."

You probably can accept the idea that you need a mentor in your life...someone to be an influence, and an example to you...someone to call out the greatness in you, and challenge you to live up to your God-given potential.  You may not, however, realize that you should be that person to someone else.  If you have ever received, you are also responsible to give.  Think about it:  why would you want to deprive the generation that follows you in ministry, or business, of the opportunity to utilize your wisdom and experience?  If they possess the advantage of this knowledge, they can extend the life of your influence well after you are gone.  This was precisely Jesus' leadership approach.  He replicated Himself in the lives of His disciples, and then told them that they would do His works, and even greater works, when He left them.  As a result, His ministry has been extended to this very day.

I've heard so many times, from people of all ages, "I don't have anything to offer".  You may have thought the same thing.  What you meant was this, "I don't believe I have any special expertise, or outstanding experience worth sharing."  Here's the deal, though:  If you have ANY expertise or experience, no matter how basic it may seem to you, it will be revolutionary to someone who needs it.  You're underwhelmed by your skills because you're familiar with them...they are old-hat to you.  But to the person who is in need of those skills, they are like gold.  So, lose the false humility and accept the fact that you have something that someone needs.  At the very least, if you are a believer in Jesus, then you have, living inside you, what EVERYONE needs.

Remember what we looked for in a mentor in last week's post?  As a mentor, you possess something those under you don't.  It may be experience, it may be a history of success or failure, it may be skills, and it is always perspective and objectivity. You have something to offer, after all.

So, we repeat our questions from last week:

First, 'who'?
Who are you going to mentor?  Should you take applications, or recruit whoever happens to be standing around?  No.  It's easier than that.  If you are in leadership, there are those folks who are drawn to you.  There are even those who seem to find an excuse to wander into your office, or randomly call or text for no apparent reason.  But there is a reason.  The fact is that they want to be around you because they see something in you that they need.  You will draw a majority of your mentoring subject from these kinds of relationships.

I began mentoring folks when we were in youth ministry.  There were kids that just wanted to be around us...more than others did.  They showed up at our offices after school, they wanted to go wherever we went, they even ended up at our house when they were on dates.  They had questions, they had ideas, and they also had a purpose.  Somewhere along the way we realized that we needed to take advantage of this dynamic and pour into these kids.  I'm glad we did.  Right now, at least six of those 'kids' are in full or part-time ministry.

Now, 'how'?
There are really only two requirements to make a fruitful mentoring relationship:

1. Availability
As we mentioned before, in scripture, you always found Joshua with Moses...even in his meetings with God.  This means that Moses made his life available to Joshua.  Those whom you are mentoring need an upgraded level of access to your life.  You can't ignore phone calls from them.  You can't put everything in your schedule ahead of them...they are a priority.  Yes, it can be inconvenient.  Yes, there are sacrifices.  The inconvenience and sacrifice will be worth it, however, when you see those you are mentoring begin to grow and succeed.     

2. Transparency 
Now, when you have the attention of someone you are mentoring, by all means, steward that gift wisely.  Don't waste your time and theirs by putting on a show.  They don't need to see the 'cleaned-up' version of you, they need to see the real you.  They need to see how you respond to conflict, how you push through frustration, and overcome real problems.  They need to know that you have human emotions so that you can show them how to channel those emotions.  They need to understand your thought processes and your problem-solving style.  None of this can be done by presenting a facade.  Remember, they don't need to be impressed by you, they need to be equipped by you.

Moses equipped Joshua for his life and ministry.  Joshua extended the ministry of Moses.  This is the beauty of mentorship, both over and under.

Happy leading!