Weekly Thought – July 27, 2021
Fred saw himself as an “inveterate note taker. “Rarely do I hear, read, or even think anything that I feel deserves retention that I don’t commit to paper. I’ve been doing this for sixty years.” This became a common practice with those he mentored, as well. In his last days dear friend Bill Glass appeared in the ICU waiting room with a notebook and pen. “I still have questions for Fred and I want to make sure I get the answers right.”
Lifestyle Mentoring
One form of mentoring defines the principles of living. Recently, I hear a young man say, “My grandfather was everything to me. He loved me, and he taught me how to live.” How fortunate to have an older person in one’s life about whom you can say that.
As we look to scripture for examples of lifestyle mentoring we automatically think of Paul and Timothy. Paul let Timothy observe him at work. He didn’t try to teach Timothy mechanics of missionary work. He was a father in the faith… a type of parent without the parental responsibilities.
For years Zig Ziglar and I have regularly met to talk. When we sit down he gets out his paper and pen even though his memory for material is greater than mine. In discussing mentoring he said, “Be sure to tell the person being mentored to make notes. No one should trust his memory with anything important.”
A good mentor never ridicules a question. He may choose not to answer, but he respects the process because questions are the pump that makes the answers flow.
I have sought over my lifetime (which is approaching 90) to distill life into principles. Some are eternal, and therefore always current. I form a mental filing cabinet for all information that passes through my experience. Some items interest me – others do not. So, there are some empty file folders in my cabinet for topics of no interest to me. I was blessed with excellent recall, but I work on it consistently.
Lifestyle mentoring is “coming alongside” in the day by day, developing by observing, asking, absorbing, and putting information into a helpful form.
This week carefully consider: 1) Who is my lifestyle mentor? 2) How effective am I at note taking? 3) What am I learning that will be valuable to younger ones?
Words of Wisdom: “Rarely do I hear, read, or even think anything that I feel deserves retention that I don’t commit to paper. I’ve been doing this for sixty years.”
Wisdom from the Word: “To Timothy, my genuine child in the faith.” (1 Timothy 1:2 NET Bible)