Mentoring: “Imitate me as I imitate Christ!” - Michael White

I absolutely love the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” commercials. Side note…is it okay to reference a beer commercial in a Christian blog?  That’s another topic for another day.  But those commercials crack me up!

Here are a few lines that describe this man…

“Athletes seek his autograph. His passport requires no photo.  He can keep one eye on the past while looking into the future.  When he drives his new car off the lot it increases in value.  Though he can't walk on water he's never slipped on ice.  Dolphins love swimming with him.”

Have you ever had a moment if your life when you encountered someone who simply just captivated you?  No…I don’t mean attraction to the opposite sex.  I mean someone who you just felt like you needed to be around, someone you really wanted to be like.

In the early years of my faith, I prayed often that the Lord would send me someone who could serve that role in my life.  I was a “Timothy” yearning for a “Paul”.  Some years ago, while working at Thousand Pines, a man came in who was leading a retreat.  Something about him intrigued me.  He was clearly bathed in the grace of the Lord and I wanted the same for myself.

Today, that man is my mentor and has been for the past 4 years.  He’s never promised the answers to my life’s situations.  Instead, only to walk with me through them.  He’s impacted my life beyond measure, yet, if you ask him, he’ll take credit for nothing.

I too have had the opportunity to mentor others.  I was intimidated at first at what it would mean…do I know all I need to know, do I have all the answers to the questions I might be asked?  Was I actually qualified to say, “imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1)?  But I calmed myself by remembering my mentor…never promising the answer…only to walk with me as we discover it.

Who’s walking with you…who are you walking with?  As you follow…lead others.  Mentoring really is that simple.