In college, I majored in history. There’s just something about exploring events that changed the course of lives, people groups —even entire nations— that intrigues me. I love learning from the past, and using those lessons in my present to make my future better.
Even more than I love learning from stories in Texas or American history, I love learning from the stories found in Biblical history. I enjoy studying the lives that God worked greatly in and taking lessons from them that I can apply to my own journey. Lives lived by heroes such as Abraham, Moses and David.
In studying men like this, I find one common thread to their victory: every prize they received had a price they were willing to pay. Not just once, but over and over again. One of the most common? Mentorship.
Living a blessed life— a life God uses— is about more than just being inspired by someone’s story. It’s about more than idolizing their life. It’s about imitating the way they followed God, doing the same things that caused them to get there.
Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”
Elisha was a great example of this. He saw his spiritual father— Elijah— live a blessed life. But he didn’t just let it inspire him. He didn’t idolize his life, but he imitated what he did to get there. He submitted himself to godly mentorship, and his life was blessed doubly as a result.
Here’s how he did it. First, he gave his best when nobody noticed. Before he ever left his trade to mentor under Elijah, Elisha had become successful. Though he simply worked with oxen, he was wealthy because he stayed faithful even when no one was looking.
Then, he decided to give his best to everything he did, even the small stuff. When Elijah approached Elisha about leaving his work behind to be mentored, Elisha didn’t waste any time. He didn’t say, “Let me find a suitable successor for my work so it will still be here when I get back.”
Do you know what he did? He took his yoke of oxen, slaughtered them and burned the plowing equipment. He cooked the meat from the animals and gave it to people to eat. He made sure he wouldn’t lose focus on what God had called him to. He made sure he would give his best in each season.
The last thing Elisha did was receive well Elijah’s mentorship, even when it was hard. Mentorship is not always an easy process, because it’s designed to make us better.
So, what kind of life do you want? Find someone who’s there, and ask them to mentor you. Do your best when no one’s looking, no matter how small the task is, and humble yourself before their mentorship. As Proverbs says, we truly are better together!
