I Needed a Mentor
We got a new youth pastor when I was 15 or 16 years old. This youth pastor never took the time to get to know me and frankly told me he didn't believe my faith was real. He doubted the depth of my faith because I was a little goofy. Well, now I'm 57 and still a little goofy, but I know that my faith was very real at 16, with a desire to grow. Even though my youth pastor refused to invest his life into me, one of the volunteer youth sponsors, Mike, decided to take that roll. That investment in my life has made a difference for 40-plus years.
As a college student, Mike decided to invest his life in this goofy 16-year-old. That relationship has lasted a lifetime, and Mike's investment in me showed me that I was valuable and worth investing time into. Over the years, Mike taught me practical life lessons and deep biblical truths. Because he saw a hunger for Jesus in me, he fed that hunger and challenged me to go deeper. He was there for me in the rough and good times – there’s plenty of both as a teenage boy.
Was Mike a professional mentor? No, of course not. He was one believer in Jesus, a little further along the path, investing his life into another follower of Jesus. Mike's investment of time, energy, a little money for pizza, and serious biblical teaching, caused me, as a teenager, to see the Lord for real. Mike also taught me one of the most valuable lessons I have ever learned: that to grow in my faith, I need to invest my faith in others.
I've heard several sermons that challenge everyone to have a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy in their life. In other words, we need three types of people in our lives:
Someone a little further along in their faith to invest their time in you. That would be a “Paul.”
A “Barnabas,” who is an encourager and a partner in the faith.
And a “Timothy,” somebody you're investing your life into.
It is easy to grow stagnant in our faith if we don't have these three types of people in our lives. Your faith walk will accelerate beyond what you can imagine when you take the time to intentionally have these three types of people involved in your life.
If you're like me, you may have multiple Pauls, Barnabas, and Timothys in your life. I can't help it. I need multiple people to guide me or smack me upside the head with green-treated 2x4s. I need multiple people who will speak truth in my life and echo the words of God from their hearts. Also, being in the media world and a world where I work with ministry leaders, I often need encouragers to come out of the woodwork to help me through a situation. When you're in leadership, it's lonely. So, I need multiple Barnabas in my life. I also know that God has often placed Timothys in my life. I may have two or three men to pour my energy into at any given time. This pouring into their lives may be specific and targeted discipleship, but it might be just me living alongside them. Right now, I have two or three people like that in my life.
It’s time to do a self-check. Do you have a Paul in your life, a Barnabas in your life, and a Timothy in your life? Living with this level of intentionality as a Jesus follower will absolutely change your forward trajectory. It will change your life.
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About the Author, Jim Brangenberg
Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!