Over these past few years, I have had the amazing opportunity to enter into wonderful relationships, and before you get too excited, they are not all romantic! I am referring to mentorship relationships. Mentoring, as defined by Paul D. Stanley and J. Robert Clinton in Connecting: The Mentoring Relationships You Need to Succeed in Life, states,
“Mentoring is a relational experience through which one person empowers another by sharing God-given resources. The resources vary. Mentoring is a positive dynamic that enables people to develop potential.”
In life, we can have mentors who can assist in our careers, educational pursuits, business aspirations, and spiritual guidance.
Today, I want to hone in on the power of spiritual mentorship in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. In the Bible, we see many examples of mentorship, Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 19:16), Paul and Timothy (Acts 16:1-3), and most importantly, Jesus Christ and His disciples as we read throughout The Gospels. As they grew in their mentorship/discipleship relationship, they grew in wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment, to name a few things.
Before entering into a mentoring relationship, I believe it is vital to clearly understand what you are looking for in your mentoring experience. I spent time in prayer asking God to connect me with women of God who were wise, discerning, and submissive to His Holy Spirit. Even though I believe asking God for what I want is important, I know that in God’s sovereignty, He will provide exactly what I need!
In Titus 2:3-5, Paul encourages the older women:
“to be reverent in behavior, not slanders, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children.”
Being mentored by an older woman who is seasoned in her faith and bears the fruit of an intimate relationship with The Father is quite beneficial for a younger woman. In my mentoring relationships, I have had the opportunity to glean wisdom in a multitude of ways. My spiritual mentors have opened up their homes to me - where I have learned how to grow deeper in my walk with Christ, to develop a deeper prayer life, and even how to properly fold a fitted bed sheet (Who knew that squishing it into a ball was incorrect!) I have been lovingly corrected when I have been wrong and given much guidance when I was in desperate need of godly wisdom. I have been prayed for and comforted during times of heartbreak. My mentors have spoken life over me and pointed out things in myself that I did not see. I am genuinely grateful to God for every woman He has blessed me with who has taken her time to pour into me. I believe that a mentor can be so instrumental in helping us to walk in God’s purpose and reach the destination God has for us.
There is no one way to go about mentorship; it can look different in every season of life. If you are praying and in need of a spiritual mentor, I implore you to trust the God who created you and knows the plans for your life (Psalm 139:16). At the appointed time, He will bring the mentors you need to help you grow into the person He has destined you to be! There is so much beauty in divine connections, and I believe that when we are willing to be open, humble, and transparent with our mentors, we can experience much spiritual and personal growth.
About Our Guest Contributor
Funmi Saheeb is an educator, daughter, sister, and aunt. She is passionate about helping others to walk entirely in their God-given identity by speaking the word of God over their lives. She enjoys tapping into her creative side by using social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube to encourage others with her real-life experiences and testimonies on overcoming various trials and tribulations. Funmi is a lover of fashion, food, afro beats, transparency, and storytelling. She is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2012 and enjoys serving at her local church. You can follow her on Instagram and YouTube: @FunmiEncourages.
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