The Critical Importance of Mentoring

Will is a senior at Liberty University and a member of the Army ROTC program.  He will commission as an officer in less than a month. I was blessed when he asked me to help him create a sponsorship program for their ROTC department.  In this case, sponsors are older men or women who have served in the military as senior officers or NCOs and who are willing to be mentors to any of the cadets who would like to be paired with them to meet and learn and become better prepared to serve as officers.  With the help of four mature individuals I was able to recruit, we shared with several cadets who came out on a Monday evening to learn about the critical importance of mentoring.

​Meditation
1 Timothy 1:1-2--Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope: To Timothy, my true son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Paul poured himself into Timothy because he wanted him to be a successful, godly leader.  It will be exciting to learn in heaven how many people were mentored by this giant in the faith who continues to coach us through his inspired letters.

Everyone needs a mentor! To find a godly mentor, we should identify someone we recognize as experienced and trust and ask them if they would be willing to invest in us.  It will require sacrifice as both parties set aside time out of their schedules to meet intentionally.  We will need to be FAT—faithful, available, and teachable in a relationship that should be enjoyable and stimulating.  

When we are mentored, several powerful things should occur. First, we should directly benefit from directed teaching, coaching, and modeling. From a sage person’s experience, we learn how to avoid dumb mistakes, build great habits, and live wisely. Second, a transparent relationship should form where discernment is rendered by active listening and asking the hard questions necessary before offering counsel.  Steven M. Southwick & Dennis S. Charney wrote in Resilience that mentors “help to foster resilience through their words and actions . . . motivate, provide consistent and reliable support, inspire and foster self-esteem.”
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I am grateful for mentors who have deeply impacted my life—John George, Paul Drake, Ken Ross, and TK Moffett.  They are a few of many who have helped me become a better person. So who is invested in your life, and are you willing to devote your time to help others?
 
Inspiration
As a mentor, you serve as a model for someone who needs skill building and encouragement.  In the process, you also develop your own skills, because when we teach we learn.  In addition, mentors typically embrace an optimistic outlook, practice altruism, give and receive social support and so forth.—Steven M. Southwick & Dennis S. Charney in Resilience
 
 
©2023 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you want to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed, subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)