Many Mentors

This week we’ve been reflecting on mentoring. Interestingly, in the very same book where Paul highlights two of TImothy’s key mentors (his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois), it’s also quite obvious that Paul himself was one of Timothy’s mentors. For example, he writes things like this: “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance” (2 Tim 3:10). Paul had also poured himself into Timothy - just like key women in his family had.

This points to the reality that we need more than one mentor. Bill and Brenna put together a blog talking some on the Three Myths of Finding a Mentor for the little non-profit they run to train leaders around sharing power and becoming inclusive. And one of the big myths is that we just need one mentor to meet all of our mentoring needs. Typically, that’s pretty overwhelming for the mentor and not very productive!

One of the blogs talks about how we need a whole constellation of mentors, not just a single one. It’s built around the image below.

As you think of Paul, Lois, and Eunice being mentors to Timothy, who comes to mind for you? Are there areas of your life where you’ve had (or currently have) a good mentor? Are there areas where you need a mentor now? Talk with God about what’s coming up for you.