IN PRAISE OF MENTORS

Deuteronomy 4:1-49; Luke 6:39-7:10; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 11:28

“But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him. In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the Lord your God and listen to what he tells you.”

 “Then Jesus gave the following illustration: ‘Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? Students are not greater than their teacher…. So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?’”

“Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.”

Back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, one of my cross country running teammates wore a special t-shirt to time trials. On his back, it read in bold letters, “Follow me to heaven!” After he ran by us like a jackrabbit, the entire team took malicious joy in passing him when he cramped up. He could not understand why no one stopped to help. The rest of us, though, finished as a pack. We got each other through the race.

God needs leaders, but that doesn’t mean they have to be at the front of the line.  When I try to get ahead and expect others to follow, I usually find myself all alone. Leading like that does little more than isolate. DOH! The “flock” becomes less and less tolerant of “me first” self-aggrandizement. Worse, anytime we push to the fore, we draw attention away from the Lord and onto ourselves. It’s usually not a pretty sight, either!

To lead well is to follow Jesus’ example. He was far more a mentor than an instructor.  Sure, He gave directions and even commands from time to time. But then, He consistently followed His own advice. Even more powerful and inspiring, He did so as He walked side by side among His disciples, not at the head of the line with His back to them. Jesus knew the secrets of life. He was able to share them best by allowing others to see how they worked in Him. His accessibility made His lifestyle real, and imitable.

It is axiomatic that we will not believe what we cannot live, and we will not live what we do not know works as a practical matter. God Himself had a tough time convincing the Israelites to follow His Commandments from Mount Sinai. Even being led by pillars of flame and clouds, the Hebrews strayed. So, God became a man and mentored us back to grace. The Lord knew people need people to walk with them and share life. That’s how we learn best.  Otherwise, we tend to follow the “stuff,” defining success by what we have, not who we are or who we could be.

Mentoring - demonstrating joy, freedom and competence in the middle of life - is the only kind of leadership that truly inspires long term loyalty and commitment. Holding ourselves out and away as an example breeds only resentment. Lord, give me the vision to see you beside me, and not to look for You too high up or too far away. And if You’d have me be your hands and feet for one of my brothers or sisters, help me to share life, not cheap advice.