On Being a Mentor

In my last entry I wrote about meeting Pierre Perensin, the Pastor from Brazil with whom I immediately connected during my recent visit to his country. By the time our visit was over and I was headed back to the States, I knew that I had acquired a new assignment: to help Pierre accomplish what the Lord has set in his heart to do, as he reaches out to his fellow Brazilians in the city of Santos Dumont.Refrigerator filter, dirt is blocked by filter screen.Therefore, when we need to replace the refrigerator filter, we should pay attention to avoid the filter screen at both ends of the filter.The filter that has been opened should be applied in a timely manner, and cannot beexposed to the atmosphere for a long time, because the molecular sieve contained in that case may reach saturation and lose the effect of its adsorption water. water filter 3 Filter has a unique technology, can remove more than 99.99% of the pollutants, and leave all the necessary minerals (reverse osmosis filter out all matter, including minerals your body needs, in terms of nutrition, experts say it is basically a dead) Whirlpool filter

A few things come to mind as I contemplate a mentoring relationship with Pierre, truths that transcend culture and are just as applicable to those who are mentoring someone in this country as they are to my new friendship with Pierre. As you think about the assignment that may be waiting for you, I’d encourage you to consider that mentoring relationships are:

Often with someone who just “shows up” in your life, quite apart from any “calculating decision” on your part.

Stop and think about the vast majority of your friendships. More likely than not, they just “happened,” without any real effort or decision on your part. For whatever reason, you bumped into someone along life’s pathway whose heart matched yours, and over a period of time, your relationship developed into a strong friendship. Mentoring relationships are no different – you can’t force them. It’s not like you wake up one day and make a list of “people I think I should mentor.” The more likely scenario is that the people whom you are intended to mentor will simply show up, unannounced and eager for your input – if you’re paying attention and aware of the opportunity.

Helped along by a growing, deepening two-way friendship.

Mentoring is not a one-way street, where you adopt the role of “teacher” and the person being mentored is the “student.” While there will certainly be teaching and learning moments, the fact of the matter is that you’re as likely to learn from them as they are from you. And along the way, you’ll find that a deepening friendship will keep the relationship from being a formal and stuffy “exchange of information,” instead of the multi-layered complexity and enjoyment that results from being part of one another’s life.

Dependent upon unexpected, personal and practical investments.

When you find yourself in the role of “mentor” to someone, part of your job responsibility is to make an honest assessment of their situation and needs. There’s a very practical reason why you’ve been given the opportunity to help shape and mold their lives and their career – and helping them in completely unexpected ways with things they would never dream of asking you for is one of the great privileges of the relationship. Don’t assume they have access to the same resources, opportunities, connections or vision that you do. If they could do it all by themselves, they wouldn’t need you. Enjoy the privilege you’ve been given in this special relationship, and take advantage of the opportunity to notice and help in very real, personal and practical ways.

There’s more to say about this subject, but for now let me simply encourage you to be open to the possibility of being a mentor. My guess is there’s someone who is already on their way to you, someone who would benefit greatly from the wisdom and life experience that you have to offer. The payoff for you? Greater depth, meaning and purpose – the very things that bring true satisfaction to our lives.