Calling All Mentors
I just finished reading Mark Dever’s book Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus. As I neared the end, I remembered that I read another book not long ago on the topic of discipling/mentoring. I didn’t intentionally set out to study this topic, but since God seems to be bringing books my way, I’m taking notice.
I use the word “mentor” in the title because it sounds less scary than “discipler.” When you think of disciples, you probably picture the 12 apostles following Jesus, watching everything He did, and listening to every word He said. Although there are cases where your disciple may live with you, chances are that’s not happening, and I’m not suggesting that. However, it saddens me that I don’t often see older people taking younger ones under wing to teach them things they have learned along the way, nor do I see young people seeking to glean the wisdom of those older. And yet the New Testament is all about discipling and then sending them out to disciple others.
I’m a firm believer in our primary responsibility being to our families, but I don’t think that should be our sole world. When children are little a mother may not have time or energy to think about anything but making sure their children are cared for and training them to know and love the Lord. But when those children are grown, she often goes into depression because that was her life. This is the time to pray about others that you should invest in.
I know young women whose mothers have died or who didn’t have a good role model for a mother. These women would love to have older women they could learn from or just talk to. Boys who don’t have a dad in their life would like to see an example of what it means to be a Godly husband and father, or would just like to think that someone cares. Relationships take time, but if you calculate how much time you watch TV or scroll through Facebook, and exchange that for investing in another person, now you have the time.
To everything there is a season, and I know not everyone is in a season where they have time to disciple, but as Mr. Dever pointed out, a discipler doesn’t have to have it all together. Discipleship isn’t always accountability sessions and hard discussions. It can be living life in front of others, inviting someone for dinner once a week or so (you have to eat anyway), riding together while you do errands, letting them see God at work through even the stressful moments. This is not something most of us are comfortable with, but it’s something to consider.
Your disciple can be your child, your siblings, a young person in your church, a young married couple, new parents, or someone new to the area who needs a friend. You may not see yourself as a discipler, but others may be learning from you anyway.
Too many Christians are comfortable with their routine that the thought of letting someone else into it seems daunting. But I hope you will at least pray about what I’m saying. I can’t help but wonder if fewer young people would apostasize if someone would come alongside them and show them what it means to walk with Jesus.
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