A pastor shares this: ‘The process of growing with the help of a mentor usually follows this pattern: it begins with awareness. You realise that you need help and that following yourself is not a viable option for effective personal growth. When a person comes to such a realisation, one of two things can happen. The first is that the person’s pride swells up, and he cannot bring himself to ask another person for advice…The other reaction to awareness is to humble yourself and say, “I need your help.” That decision not only leads to greater knowledge, but it also often develops maturity in you. It also reinforces that people need one another – not just when they’re young and starting out, but their entire lives…The mentors you take advice from help to shape you. If you spend your time with people who subtract from you, who belittle you or undervalue you, then every step forward that you attempt to take will be difficult. But if you find wise leaders, good role models, and positive friends, you will find that they speed you on your journey. No matter who you are, what you have accomplished, how low or how high your life has taken you, you can benefit from having a mentor. If you’ve never had one, you have no idea how much it can improve your life. If you have had mentors, then you already know – and you should start passing it on by becoming a mentor to others. Because you know that it’s hard to improve when you have no one but yourself to follow.’ So, ‘get wisdom’, and share it with those who need it.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.