Always have a mentor

1 Peter 5:4-7 “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. “

The word mentor is a little scary. It kind of sounds like counselor or it feels a little like you are setting yourself up to be judged and criticized.  But having a Godly mentor is far from that. There might be a little counseling going on, but not like we see in movies where people lie on the bed and tell all of their deep dark secrets.

I have been so blessed to have some wonderful mentors along the way. I think a mentor is someone who is a life stage, or a few life stages ahead of you that is willing to point you towards Jesus. A mentor does not have to have a perfect walk or be a trained counselor, just someone willing to share life and walk alongside of someone.

I had people in high school that definitely poured into my life, but I will never forget my first intentional meeting with my mentor in college. I was so nervous. I thought through as many topics as I could to make sure I had something to talk about. For those of you who know me, you might think this is funny because I could talk to a brick wall. But I was really nervous. When I met with her, we went for a walk and I talked… almost the whole hour. She became a person in college that could be a sounding board for me to process through the many things I was learning and struggling with.

Since college, I have had several wonderful women come in and out of my life and each have supplied me with great wisdom. I believe that God calls us to look to the saints who have gone before us to show us the way. That is how we learn to walk, talk, and act like Jesus. Jesus is our first mentor, but Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ”.

I will say it is incredibly humbling when you ask someone to be your mentor. Sometimes I like to think I have it all together and don’t need any one speaking into my life. That is definitely a lie straight from the evil ones mouth. We always need wise counsel. No matter where we are in life.  We have to humble ourselves and allow ourselves to be a part of the body.  Proverbs say’s “iron sharpens iron”. It might not always be comfortable to reach out of your comfort zone and ask some one you see as older and wiser than you to meet with you…. But it a gift we have as being a part of the body of Christ!

I also think that those who are older need to offer themselves to be available as mentors. You might not think you have a lot to offer, but any one who is in Christ has the ultimate counselor living inside of them!

Let’s live as the body of Christ is meant to live. Let’s humble ourselves before each other and be mentored and mentor others. Sharing life with one another truly does provide deep richness. If you don’t know where to go to find a mentor, start by asking a few Christian friends where they would go. Most churches have a women’s counsel that would be glad to point you towards someone.

One more thing, sometimes we need more than a mentor. I am HUGE advocate of counseling. I think that everyone at some point in their life needs to go to counseling. Godly counseling can be so freeing. We all need older, wiser friends, but there are seasons in our life we might want to talk to a professional.