Jesus was the perfect mentor. He told His disciples, ‘He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also.’ If we want to reach our God-given potential, we should ask God for the right mentors. We'll always go further with a good mentor coaching, pushing, and encouraging us. Some mentors are given to us for a short season, while others are given for a lifetime, and we must learn to know the difference. The 'manifesto' of a true, good mentor would sound something like this:

1) I am willing to spend the time it takes to build a close relationship with the learner;

2) I commit myself to believing in the potential of the learner, to telling them the exciting future I see ahead for him or her; to visualising and verbalising the possibilities for their life;

3) I am willing to be vulnerable and transparent in front of the learner; I’m willing to share not only my strengths and successes, but also my weaknesses, failures, brokenness, and sins;

4) I am willing to be honest but affirming in confronting the learner’s errors, faults, and areas of immaturity;

5) I am committed to standing by the learner through trials – even trials that are self-inflicted through ignorance or error;

6) I am committed to helping the learner set goals for their spiritual life, career, or ministry, and to helping the learner dream their dream;

7) I am willing to fairly and objectively evaluate the learner’s progress towards their goal;

8) Above all, I am committed to faithfully living out everything I teach.

What Now?

Pray for anyone who mentors you in some way (or any mentors you’ve had in the past). Ask God to help them as they support you and others in reaching your potential.