The author writes that "spiritual mentoring is uniquely relational for it invites many others into the circle of conversation - voices of the past in Scripture and church tradition - voices of the present in teachers and wise guides - voices of the heart in the Holy Spirit and in the heart of your mentoree."
He cautions us on our need / our purpose for becoming a mentor by saying, "If your need is to create a duplicate of yourself, remember that the God who makes each snowflake unique has likewise made each person unique. Your experience belongs to the particularities of your own history; do not impose it on another, but let God form the other as distinctly as God formed you."
WOW! I LOVE THIS!!! Especially because I am a visual learner and the thought of the unique snowflakes flowing down from the sky (WITHOUT the need to shovel the snow!) is just beautiful - just like you and I. So often we think we have to mold and remold others as we have been molded. So often others observe us and feel like they are not "accomplished" because they haven't gotten to where we have gotten. MAYBE they never will - maybe that's not God's plan for them - just as His plan for us is for us and not them.
I also love the thought of something else he had to say, "You have been invited to participate in a walk through the calendar of daily life where God is not always immediately visible to the human eye, which is why you are needed, to help your friend pay attention." So . . . it's not that God is not there - it's just that He's not always visible to us and sometimes that's because we are not looking or listening for Him.
He says there are three primary themes we are to watch out for in order to develop the ever-unfolding story of your friend's life (the one you are mentoring):
1) intimacy with God
2) ultimate identify as a beloved child of God, and
3) a unique voice for kingdom responsibility
He says it is easy to remember these because "everything we do is lived under the canopy of three defining questions that have been the baseline questions asked throughout all of biblical history; they are the trail markers for your work as a spiritual mentor."
He provides us with a simple way to remember these three things through the use of these questions:
1) Who is God?
2) Who am I?
3) What am I to do with my life?
Aren't these the same three questions we have asked ourselves over and over throughout our journey? I know that I have.
He writes that we can better listen to our own life by hearing about the stories of the lives of seven men and women throughout history who have much to teach us. I was blown away to learn that one is from the fourth-century (Augustine), another man from the twelfth-century (Aelred of Rievaulx), a woman from the fourteenth-century (Julian of Norwich), two men (Ignatius of Loyola and John of the Cross) and a woman (Teresa of Avila) from the sixteenth-century and a woman (Jeanne Guyon) from the seventeenth-century. Jeanne's writings (Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ) has continued throughout the history of the church and have been widely read for more than three hundred years (yes! I located and ordered her book!) Her book was written primarily for uneducated peasants and compelled people to move into a living experience of Jesus Christ. She was denounced as a heretic and imprisoned in the Bastille during the reign of Louis XIV. AND HER MESSAGE LIVES ON TODAY!!! How cool is that?
So . . . where do we get the term "mentor?" It comes from Greek mythology. Ulysses placed his son Telemachus under the tutelage and care of a wise sage named Mentor. While Ulysses was off fighting in the Trojan War, Mentor was responsible for teaching Telemachus "not only in book learning but also in the wiles of the world." Mentor's task was to provide an education of soul and spirit as well as mind, an education in wisdom and not merely in information."
The life of Jesus Christ and its call, "follow me," is a call to teach what he taught and to teach as he taught. The author tells us "the theological term for Jesus' ministry is incarnational, which means "enflshed" or "embodied." So in simple terms Jesus' life became his message. He revealed in His life what He said in His words. Today, we call this spiritual mentoring.
In our culture today we are all about speed and instant gratification. we want it NOW! Jesus' method is taught most directly in the biblical text of the Gospel of John (see John 1:9-14). The author reminds us that "The longed-for Messiah came incarnationally to live among us (literally, to "pitch his tent") for a while. The resounding message is one of redemption through the incarnated Christ. Now all nations will have opportunity to experience the intimate love of God, which provides privileged status as empowered, loved children of God. Being incarnational means "pitching one's tent" among those who need to hear and experience the intimate love of God. It is the foundational example of relationality in spiritual mentoring. It is in relationality that begins with one's own relationship with God and then moves toward relationship with others."
During your quiet time with God - ask Him if it is time to "pitch your tent." If not, continue working on your own relationship with Him and allow Him to tell you when.