I started volunteering with the junior high ministry at my church in the summer of 2012. Not too long after, I was offered a position as the assistant to the senior high pastor, which then led to me working with the senior high ministry as well.
All of that was kind of a surprise, because as I knew I would work with youth ministry again [I worked with the youth group at my old church my first year of college, but then I took a year long break], I just didn't know when, but I was trusting God with the timing. However, I did not ever think I would be working at my church, specifically with youth ministry.
I actually hoped that I could, but I thought that was a long shot kind of dream.
I was trying to figure out what I actually wanted to do after I graduated college, and out of all the possible occupations in the world, I landed on youth ministry [of course, I also realllllllly want to have my own small business - ya know, making hats and painting pictures]...I just never thought it would happen, and happen within a couple of months.
Anyways, I started working at the church in February of last year. Since then, I have led two small groups, been part of two small groups, been mentored, and have been asked to be a mentor.
Truly, I understood being in all the roles except for being a mentor. That was a shock. And I squealed and told my friend how crazy this was [with a lot of exclamation points], but also how excited I was.
It was something I felt like it'd be cool to do one day. Not right now.
It's not as though I didn't want to be a mentor, but I just did not feel qualified for that position. Why the heck would someone want to take life advice from me? Why would someone look up to me? I definitely don't have it all figured out.
There really is a ton that I have to say about this awesome opportunity, but I'll try and make it easy to breakdown and understand.
As a mentor, you should be:
- Real
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got on being a mentor, is that I just need to be real. The reason why someone asks you to be in that position, is because they trust you, and they are trusting you to be real and honest with them, as they are real and honest with you.
They don't want some perfect person who can't relate to them, they want someone who they know struggles with things but also grows in their relationship with Christ. - Intentional and Consistent
You really have to want to be in this position to do an effective job. You can't commit yourself to being in a place where you will be there for someone if you really have no intention on sticking with it. It's ok to say no, too. If you just cannot be a mentor right now because you have too much on your plate, then let them know. They will understand. It's better to be growing in your relationship with Christ, than being stunted in that growth and also stunting the growth of the student.
It is important that you really pray about this too. It's not a commitment to be taken lightly. - Poured Into
In order to pour out to students, you must be poured into. You can serve someone if you haven't been fed. I've struggled with this, where I was in a dry and [seemingly] desolate place in my relationship with Christ, that when I tried to pour into my students, I had nothing. It was less than genuine, and I had a hard time understanding what I was supposed to be teaching.
It is so important that you have some source of spiritual growth for yourself. Be mentored yourself. - Trusting It took a lot of faith in God that He would provide that knowledge and wisdom that I was supposed to pass onto my "mentee" [that's a weird word, but I guess it's also the appropriate one for this], and I can see how crazily He would do it.
If God has called you to be a mentor, He is going to give you the skills necessary to do the job, you just have to trust Him with that and faithfully obey when He has given you a command.
Whether you are a mentor now, or just a youth leader, you are in a very important role. You have an incredible amount of influence on these kids lives, and whatever you do, they are going to mimic.
I am reminded time and time again that this isn't about us. These mentoring opportunities I have are not about me. It's about me reflecting Christ so that these students can grow in their relationships with Him.
It's important, vital even, that we are constantly aware of that. If we aren't reflecting Christ, and if we aren't living in way that draws these students closer to Him, then we are doing the exact opposite.
It really is a blessing to be in this position, so if God places an opportunity like this in your life, first pray about it and if it's what you're supposed to do, do it! It will change your life.
You are going to grow more than you can imagine.
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