Passing It Along

(The Spiritual Discipline of Mentoring)
June 24 — Spiritual Disciplines | Discipleship in Real Life

Most of us can point to someone who helped shape our lives.

A teacher.
A mentor.
A pastor.
A friend.

Someone who:

• listened
• encouraged
• challenged
• believed in us

Not because they were perfect.

Because they were present.

And often, the things they shared continue shaping us years later.

Mentoring reminds us that wisdom is meant to be shared, not stored away.

1. We Learn Through People

Much of what forms us comes through relationships.

Not textbooks.

Not theories.

People.

We learn:

• courage from watching courage
• patience from experiencing patience
• faith from seeing faith lived out

God frequently uses people to pass along wisdom that cannot be fully taught in any other way.

2. You Do Not Need to Be an Expert

One of the biggest obstacles to mentoring is the belief:

“I don’t know enough.”

“I still have too much to learn.”

“Someone else is more qualified.”

But mentoring has never required perfection.

It requires honesty.

The most helpful mentors are often not the people who appear flawless.

They are the people willing to say:

“This is what God taught me here.”

3. Your Failures Matter Too

Many people assume mentoring is about sharing success.

Often, it is the opposite.

Some of the most valuable wisdom comes from:

• mistakes
• disappointments
• failures
• seasons of struggle

Because those experiences reveal:

• God’s faithfulness
• humility
• perseverance
• grace

People learn not only from what went right.

But from what God redeemed.

4. Mentoring Begins With Listening

At its best, mentoring is not constant instruction.

It is attentive presence.

A mentor listens:

• before speaking
• before advising
• before correcting

Because mentoring is not about creating copies of ourselves.

It is about helping another person pay closer attention to God’s work in their own life.

5. Spiritual Growth Becomes Generative

There comes a point when formation naturally turns outward.

Not because you have arrived.

Because growth was never meant to remain private.

What God teaches you:

• through prayer
• through hardship
• through waiting
• through grace

becomes something you can offer to another person.

6. Mentoring Requires Humility

One of the gifts of mentoring is that it reminds us we are still learning too.

As we walk with others:

• new questions emerge
• blind spots appear
• wisdom deepens

Mentoring is rarely one-directional.

God often teaches both people through the relationship.

7. A Practice for June 24

Today, share one honest insight with someone.

Not a lecture.

Not a lesson.

Just a piece of your journey.

A story.
An encouragement.
A lesson learned.

Then ask:

“How might God use my experience to encourage someone else?”

Remain open to the answer.

The Invitation

June 24 reminds us that spiritual growth is meant to be shared.

The wisdom you have received is not yours alone.

The grace you have experienced is not meant to stop with you.

You do not need to have every answer.

You simply need to be willing to walk alongside someone else with honesty, humility, and care.

Because one of the ways God multiplies His work is through people who faithfully pass it along.

Monday through Saturday.

One conversation at a time.