I’ve recently started a mentoring relationship (God has a way of taking us out of our comfort zone). It’s something that I’ve never done before, and something I was not really looking for. I’ve read about mentoring and even studied the topic, but I have never mentored anyone nor have I ever been mentored. Yes, I’ve raised my children—giving them guidance and support, and I’ve had people give me advice, but I think mentoring involves much more than that.
I approached the first day of mentoring like a counseling session—asking what the goal would be, etc. Unlike a typical counseling session, though, I shared more about myself— it was both of us talking a little about our current situation and about our background. I’m not sure if we ever came up with concrete goals, but I think we decided to be accountable to each other for our reading of the Bible and other books.
This is unknown territory for me—I feel kind of lost. I am the kind of person that likes to plan things—where we are going and how we will get there. This new venture is different—I have no idea what to do or what the main purpose will be but I’ll do this because I think God is trying to grow me in an area where I am weakest—relationships with others.
I think God puts us in unfamiliar situations because He wants us to stop being complacent and stagnant. He wants us to grow and flourish. It reminds me of the Bonzai tree—if left alone it would grow in its own direction, but in order for it to look extraordinarily beautiful, it has to be shaped and moved in a different direction.
I don’t know what the end result of this mentoring relationship will be, but I know that God has placed it in my life for a reason. I just have to depend on His guidance and allow the situation to grow me in a different direction.
Dr. T's Food for Thought 