You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others. 1 Timothy 2:2
OKAY, kid, let’s see what you’ve got.” Richard seized my black cardboard portfolio and tossed it onto the paint-splattered table. He shot a dubious glance toward me, then opened the portfolio and began to leaf through pages from my freshman figure-drawing course. Except for an occasional grunt, Richard didn’t utter a word.
It was my first college internship as an art major. I believed Richard was skeptical of the whole endeavor, but because of his friendship with my dad, he had agreed to take me on. For the month of January I’d be living in a room off the garage behind his house in Los Angeles and driving with him to the studio, where I’d spend twelve hours a day priming canvases for his paintings and helping him create large cast-paper pieces. I respected his art and wanted him to see potential in me. I seriously hoped I would not embarrass myself.
The papers sighed as Richard closed the portfolio. I reddened when he turned and walked away without a word. Crossing the studio, he pulled a large brown-paper package off a shelf and came back, letting the heavy, flat package drop to the table with a crack.
“Kid, if you can draw like that, you have to start using better paper. There’s nothing better than this-rag paper from France, two dollars a sheet. From now on you’ll use this.” Then he returned to the collage he was composing. By the end of the month-long internship, he would end up investing in me much more than expensive rag paper—also the resources of his time, friendship, reputation, and insight.
In the union of divine purpose and human frailty, God shapes us into the likeness of his Son. He uses people to stretch us, to encourage us, and to lend accountability. A friend older in the faith can see possibilities in us where we see only ineffectual lines on a sheet of paper. Progress in the Christian life comes when we risk relationships with fellow believers who help us bring the picture into fuller dimension.
The apostle Paul knew that. The New Testament letters to Timothy reflect the elder-brotherly concern Paul felt for his young friend. He invested in Timothy, just as he knew Timothy would in turn do for others. The risk was worth it for Paul. It’s worth it for us to seek mentors and to be mentors.
Randal C. Working
ReflectionWho mentors me? What, if anything, makes me hesitate to risk mentoring another?
PrayerDear God, you have made yourself more real to me through the investment of others in my life. Provide people who will shape me more into your likeness, and lead me to others for whom I can make a difference.
“We must discipline ourselves to be available—physically and emotionally—to one another … [Most] relationships feel like intrusions or interruptions instead of being enjoyed as gifts or, even more, being celebrated as one of life’s highest purposes.”
—Douglas Rumford, author
