“Mentor” is a word that is used quite often today. One can serve as a mentor to children through a civic organization or a tutoring program, or as a mentor to someone less experienced in the workplace. The word mentor originated in the Greek language and was derived from the mythological Mentōr, the friend of Odysseus who served as a tutor to Odysseus’ son. Mentor is thus defined in Merriam Webster’s Dictionary as “a trusted counselor or guide”.
There are many examples of mentors throughout history and likely nearly every single human being can list someone who has helped shaped who they are. Johann Christian Bach, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach and an accomplished composer himself, mentored Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the science-fiction realm, Isaac Asimov served as a mentor to Gene Roddenberry. Floyd Mayweather, Sr. mentored Oscar De La Hoya, one of the most famous boxers in history, and Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great.
We can also find several examples of mentors in the Bible. Although in later days, Saul hated David and wanted to kill him, David looked up to Saul as the chosen one of God. Elisha learned under Elijah’s tutorship until God sent a fiery chariot and a whirlwind to receive Elijah up into heaven. Paul encouraged Timothy, a young preacher of the Word, and Paul himself had been mentored by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Additionally, Paul mentioned the mentorship of children by guardians in Galatians 4:2 while Solomon referred to the foolishness of discarding the sound advice of teachers and parents in Proverbs 5:13.
The world is in dire need of Christian mentors, especially when we see a growing tendency toward not only the removal of God’s name from schools and government buildings but the replacement of Christian values with the promotion of educational classes and “family” TV programs devoted to such sins as homosexuality, promiscuity and abortion, and adultery. Even advertisers are encouraging non-Christian values as they seek to sell items that should have no connection with religious or social values, such as fast food or deodorant.
As we as mature Christian women face the ever growing temptation to become complacent about sinfulness, we can only imagine how difficult it must be for those who have not learned of Christ or do not understand the gospel adequately enough to recognize the hope in following Him. After all, in their eyes, how fun can it be as the subject of ridicule by peers, the media and special interest groups?
We know that such things are temporary and that a much better reward awaits us in heaven, but do we know because someone taught us a much better way? Do we offer this hope to our loved ones and friends? We know that Christ commanded the disciples to go into all of the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15) and they did through the spreading of the gospel to everyone they knew. Jesus expects the same from us; yet do we practice this on a regular basis? “All of the world” could mean a vast expanse to a missionary who travels to foreign soil but “all of the world” may mean to us our neighborhood, place of employment, families and friendships.
God has plans for us before we are born, as acknowledged by David in Psalm 139:13 and by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5. We were planned to live in this particular time to reach the people we encounter. Surely one else in the world shares our identical influence on the same circle of friends, family and coworkers as each of us do. God has plans for us where we are and that is both a comforting thought and a serious one. If we miss the opportunity to lead one person to Christ, we not only have affected their soul but perhaps the souls of every person with whom they have contact. It would be impossible for one person to teach every person on earth about Jesus, but as the apostles did in the first century, we can influence those who are close to us to reach out to their own friends and thus spread the Word far and wide.
Let’s devote our lives tomorrow to spreading the gospel as far as we can, serving as mentors to those who are seeking hope in their lives. Remember, a mentor is “a trusted counselor or guide”, and who else can better mentor others than Christians who are mature in God’s Word? God expects the older women in the church to mentor the younger women, but this does not mean that only older women should be teaching. Young women sometimes view themselves in the younger women category, looking to others to serve as teachers; yet even teenagers and young adults can be mentors to younger children. Titus 2:3-4 teaches us that properly training others to be good Christian women, reverent, sober and loving to our husbands, leads to the passing along of this training to those who are less experienced. Each generation passes along faith in God to the next generation and thus the Lord’s church is spread throughout the Creation.
Let’s make a difference in the world one person at a time. Our nation desperately needs such mentors as it faces dark times. God bless us all as Christian women seeking to mentor those who need guidance and to spread the gospel of hope and love to everyone around us.
