{"id":2061,"date":"2024-10-04T01:24:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T07:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/1ED04112-E409-4B41-9F90-E8157A75FBEC"},"modified":"2024-10-04T07:43:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T13:43:53","slug":"20-ways-to-mentor-in-your-20s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boundless.org\/relationships\/20-ways-to-mentor-in-your-20s\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Ways to Mentor in Your 20s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Her name was \u2014 is \u2014 Amy. She\u2019s a family friend, about seven years older than me. One night she called up my folks and asked if she could take me to Barnes and Noble. I lived in the country on a farm, and at that point in history, didn\u2019t know what Barnes and Noble was<\/em>. I still remember the smell (who doesn\u2019t?), the look of the little Starbucks, also a fairly new phenomenon. I recall the artsy, promising book covers that gave off a whole lot cooler vibe than I did there in an incredibly awkward freshman year of high school. I don\u2019t remember much else about that night, other than that for more than a decade I kept the pocket Espanol<\/em>-English diccionario<\/em> I purchased that night.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what made her strike up a relationship with me, or even if that was our first outing. But it took on multiple forms: Her as my camp counselor. Her sponsoring a missions trip I was on. Harmonizing our voices together to worship songs in her little Honda on the road to somewhere. Sitting under a weeping willow tree by a lake while I asked her furtive questions about guys and sex that I hadn\u2019t the fortitude to ask my parents. Laughing about how to handle our mutually (super) naturally curly, mildly out-of-control hair. As in, using a brush may cause you to resemble a Chia pet: Watch it grow! Gel and a whole lot of deep conditioner are your friends.<\/p>\n

When I received a standby plane ticket to anywhere in the continental U.S. for my 16th birthday, I chose to visit her in college over my spring break. I still remember the late nights as we talked about her upcoming wedding. I\u2019ve put some of the songs we listened to that week on my iPod.<\/p>\n

Being in her 20s made Amy a perfect mentor for me: the perfect mix of my awe; her street smarts, coolness, and openness; and our shared love for God. Plus, mentoring in her 20s meant she had energy. Wiggle room in her schedule. Fresh ideas. And passion to fuel world change, one life at a time. One life, like mine.<\/p>\n

Invest Down<\/h4>\n

God\u2019s got a particular vision for this decade of yours and the story He longs to write there for His own renown. David, Jeremiah, Timothy, Mary \u2014 the Bible is stuffed with examples of people whose youth meant nothing but possibility for a mighty God. God proclaims in the Psalms and Isaiah 40 that the strength of youth is a good thing, and something the other two-thirds or so of the world wishes it had.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s true power in the Apostle Paul’s words: “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12<\/a>). That\u2019s what Amy gave me: someone to walk with through a few turbulent years of high school, someone to say the same things my godly parents were saying but in her own cool way, someone to keep me pointed at True North \u2014 at my God. Maybe you had an Amy of your own, or wish you had.<\/p>\n

And really, maybe that\u2019s all it takes for you to step into being a mentor in someone\u2019s life: some time, love, intentionality. Start by prayerfully considering what He\u2019s given you to invest in the people around you. Lay out your desires before God \u2014 and let Him further craft them, even run with them. What areas of His heart and hands has He shared with you? Ask Him for the wisdom He generously gives (James 1:5-6<\/a>) and for Him to make your paths straight in your desire to allow your time, resources and life to be all His.<\/p>\n

One of the best ways to think about ways you could invest down involves what makes you most uniquely you.<\/p>\n