{"id":29387,"date":"2023-01-04T16:32:36","date_gmt":"2023-01-04T23:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/?p=29387"},"modified":"2023-08-29T11:36:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:36:00","slug":"mentoring-people-of-value-adding-value-to-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/mentoring-people-of-value-adding-value-to-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Mentoring: People of Value Adding Value to People"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is nothing more rewarding than investing ourselves in others<\/a>. That\u2019s what a music teacher discovered after many years of personal investment in the lives of his students. But that\u2019s getting ahead of his story. Let me start at the beginning, as I\u2019ve heard it told in the mid-90s film you\u2019ll likely recognize.<\/p>\n

Mr. Holland is a brilliant musician whose dream is to compose a symphony through which he\u2019ll someday become rich and famous. But difficult circumstances force him to take a job as a music teacher at a high school, a job he will hold for the next thirty plus years of his life.<\/p>\n

Influencing the Lives of Those Around You<\/h3>\n

During those years, he does much more than teach music. He becomes personally involved in the lives of his students as a friend, encourager<\/a>, and cheerleader.<\/p>\n

But Mr. Holland is now a much older man, and budgetary constraints have led to the elimination of his music program, rendering him unemployed. And as he makes his way out the door for the last time, his attention is drawn to the sound of celebration in the nearby auditorium. Poking his head in the doorway, he\u2019s surprised to discover that it\u2019s all about him! Soon he is conspicuously seated near the front of room, and as he listens, he is humbled and overwhelmed by what he hears.<\/p>\n

A Success Far Greater than Riches and Fame<\/h3>\n

The keynote is delivered by an alumnus of that high school. Mr. Holland had worked with her, not so much in music as in helping her develop a healthy self-esteem and drive for achievement. She is now state Governor, and this is what she said:<\/p>\n

Mr. Holland has been a profound influence on my life, and on a lot of lives I know. Yet I get the feeling that he considers a great part of his life misspent. Rumor has it, he was always working on this symphony of his, which was going to make him famous, rich, probably both. But Mr. Holland isn\u2019t rich and he isn\u2019t famous, at least not outside of our little town. So it might be easy for him to think himself a failure. And he would be wrong, because I think he\u2019s achieved a success far greater than riches and fame. Look around you\u2014there is not one life in this room that you have not touched. Each one of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony. We are the notes and melodies of your opus. We are the music of your life.<\/p>\n

The Importance of Investing in People<\/h3>\n

By now you know that I\u2019ve just given you the plot summary for Mr. Holland\u2019s Opus. My purpose isn\u2019t so much to recommend this film (I can\u2019t vouch for all of its contents) as it is to point you to its overarching principle\u2014the importance of investing in people. What a beautiful testimony to the impact of one life on the lives of others.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a term for this: mentoring<\/em><\/a>. Simply stated, mentoring is a relationship between two people in which one empowers the other. In Mr. Holland\u2019s classroom, it was a teacher and his students. But it can happen in families\u2014father and son, mother and daughter, grandparent and grandchild.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”Mentoring is a relationship between two people in which one empowers the other. \u2013 Whaid Rose” via=”no”]<\/p>\n

It happens too in friendships and professional relationships\u2014empowering a friend through positive affirmation and encouragement, an experienced person helping someone less experienced in their personal development.<\/p>\n

Most often, and most consequentially, it happens at church as a pastor or leader or older Christian helps a younger Christian grow up in Christ through intentional spiritual investment.<\/p>\n

Commitment, Challenge, and Accountability<\/h3>\n

This is more than just a warm, fuzzy relationship; it involves commitment, challenge, and accountability. It\u2019s been said that \u201cMentoring is a brain to pick, a shoulder to cry on, and a kick in the seat of the pants.\u201d Tim Elmore, author of Mentoring: How to Invest Your Life in Others<\/em><\/a>, lists seven vital aspects of the mentoring process:<\/p>\n