7th February, 2022.

HOW TO LEARN FROM MENTORS Pt.3

Proverbs 4:1 My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, NLT

There is a Yoruba adage that says, "The man that ask for the way will not miss the way". In mentoring relationships, one of the ways to learn is to ask questions. I love the disciples of Jesus for that. They were fond of asking relevant questions: "The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?", Mt17:10. In several portions of the gospels, the disciples asked questions to draw wise counsel from Jesus. They weren't satisfied with their level of knowledge. In fact, they took their relationahip to another level by asking Christ to teach them the "How" of prayer: "One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples", Luke 11:1. They were all out to learn from the master and their method was either to learn by asking questions or asking Jesus to teach them on key issues outrightly.

One of the reasons people don't benefit from mentors is because they don't ask relevant questions that will draw wise counsel. A true child of God who is privileged to be around someone with depth should ask questions that will draw out biblical counsel. The goal should be to learn Christ and improve in other areas of life. Unfortunately, when some come around their mentors, they do more of "adoration". By that, I mean they express false humility and covet "grace" without wanting to learn the things that made the mentor who he is. Some are even under the wrong mentors because they chose who will mentor them based on fame, popularity and material gain not because of depth. Some just want to be associated with a popular name not because they want to learn anything that will benefit their lives.

You can learn from a mentor if you ask questions or by asking him/her to teach you outrightly. I cannot mention to you the number of times I've benefited from mentoring relationships because I've asked questions. It is not a sin to ask to learn what you don't know. You should be around a mentor because there's something to learn. The disciples of Jesus were well taught. It was evident in the life of Peter and John when they stood trial. The council observed that and said, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus", Acts4:13. They discovered that they had no formal training in scriptures but their learning was evident because they had been with Jesus. Let it be said of you that your life has changed because of proper mentoring. Never allow the glitz and glamour you see around your mentor be the focal point of your relationship with him. Learn by asking sincere questions. He has something to teach you.