The Passing Of A Mentor Father

Romans 1

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁰ I keep pleading that somehow by God’s will I may now at last prosper and come to you.

¹¹ For I am yearning to see you, that I may impart and share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen and establish you;

¹² That is, that we may be mutually strengthened and encouraged and comforted by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

It was a sad day when I received the news that my spiritual father and mentor had passed away. For many years we had walked and fellowshipped together.

Initially, it was with a sense of loss that I received  the news, simply because
I felt he was really the only one who knew what I had been through and who I was, and why I was.

You see, that what he did so well, sealing with acceptance and unconditional love, establishing you in your liberty as a son of God. 

But, it was only as time went by that I realised what he had done was impart something great to my life. He wasn't the greatest instructor in the world, but an amazing mentor father who understood the power of impartation. He had imparted by the power of the Spirit a deep inner security, a contentment with who I am and who I am called to be, to not be intimidated by man or by my mission, to be considerate of others, to be respectful, but not controlled, to live life to the full, to believe in myself, to love the Father in Heaven, to worship extravagantly, to be humble, to not complain about life's curve balls, to love my family, and be intimate with my wife, to believe in making disciples, and trust that God will always provide. There was so much more ...

I wept with his passing, but I wept mostly for the joy, of the Lord sending such a person into my life. 

Clearly I remember how excited I was to start building a relationship of mentor father and spiritual son with him. I pursued ardently to achieve something - I didn't know what. It seemed somewhere in those first few years that it was all about a performance, and something I had to 'get', but then disappointment set in and I faded away a little. 

Before long, I had a call: " Shaun, where are you?" he said " You haven't been around for awhile." " Oh, I'm just busy" I said. " But I miss our times together" he said. Profusely I apologised and made an appointment to visit, realising he did value me and our times, and that they were important to him, that I was important to him. 15 Years later we were still meeting regularly and sharing our dreams, challenges, disappointments, hurts, and joys, and faith.

I never did expect anything from that day forward from him, other than to have a mentor father who accepts me and impart to me the same heart and mind for Christ and His word and His people.

It has been 2 years now and still, I find at times, I think about how much that relationship meant to me.

Thank God for men who extend themselves like this to include others in their lives and who are willing to impart their very lives to these individuals.

Who imparts to your life?

Whom has God given you in your life that you should be pursuing?

Do you value this relationship even though you may not see any value yet?

Do you accept their place in your life?

Or are you living with out of wack expectations and and under-valuing their place in your life?